Disability Communication
- Before you help, always ask a person who uses a wheelchair or any assistive device if assistance is desired. Your help may not be needed or wanted.
- Don’t hang or lean on a person’s wheelchair because it is part of that person’s personal body space.
- Speak directly to the person with a disability, not to someone nearby as if the person were not there.
- If the conversation lasts more than a few minutes, consider sitting down or kneeling to get yourself on the same level as the person using the wheelchair.
- Don’t pat a person in a wheelchair on the head. This is seen as a “put-down”.
- Give clear directions, including information about distance and physical obstacles that may cause difficulty.
- When a person using an assistive device transfers to a chair, toilet, or bed, do not move the objects out of reach.
- Don’t assume that people who use wheelchairs can’t walk. There are different reasons for using wheelchairs. Some people can walk but use wheelchairs to save energy and move about quickly.
- Don’t assume because the person cannot speak clearly due to a speech impairment that this means they are deaf. You don’t need to speak loud. In most cases their hearing is fine.
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