Our Special Needs Ministry coordinator shared these tips with me a few weeks ago.
- Maintain eye contact and speak with your normal tone of voice.
- Talk directly to the person with a disability, not through their caregiver.
- Ask if assistance is needed; don’t assume it is.
- Avoid words or tone of voice that imply a patronizing or pitying attitude.
- If you do not understand what a person with a disability is saying, say so. If necessary, ask the person to repeat or use an alternative phrase.
- When talking with a person who has a mental disability, speak simply, not loudly. Simple language is not childish language.
- Don’t assume a person with a disability has other disabilities.
- When meeting a person with vision loss, identify yourself and any others who are present.
- Don’t lean on a wheelchair, it is part of the person who is using it.
- Always speak to a person using a wheelchair facing them, not from their side or behind them.
- Don’t pet or draw attention to a person’s service animal, they are the person’s life-line.
- Feel free to use common idioms like “see” or “walk” or “hear.”
- Facial and hand expressions are key to communicating with a deaf person.
What to Say and Not to Say:
Say “child with a disability” instead of “disabled child.”
Say “child with autism” instead of “autistic child.”
Say “child with intellectual disability” instead of “mentally retarded.”
Say “uses a wheelchair” instead of “confined to a wheelchair.”
