''How To Talk To A Person With Disabilities Without Sounding Like An A-Hole''

From the Fact-sheet on Persons with Disabilities made by United Nations we can find out that around 15% of the ​world's population, or estimated 1 billion people, live with disabilities. In addition, this figure is still increasing through population growth, medical advances and the ageing process, says the World Health Organization.​

At the moment they are the world's largest minority. In that case it's truthful to declaim that minimally every one of us had met one person with any disability. I can accordingly assume that every one of us had the uncomfortable situation while interacting with one of them and trying to figure out how to do it properly.

WHY IT HAPPENS?

''One reason is that some people feel sorry for people with disabilities, and assume that they are bitter about their disabilities. This is untrue in many cases. Lots of people with disabilities feel that their lives are enriched by their experiences with disability, and even if given the chance to erase their disability would choose not to.

Another reason that some people are uncomfortable around people with disabilities is that they're afraid that they will "say the wrong thing". However, that's not a big deal to most people with disabilities. What's important is that you respect the person and see them beyond their disability.''

In the movie "I am Sam", the main character, Sam, is an adult with a developmental disability. An initially insensitive attorney says to Sam:

I need that list of names from you—people who can testify that you're a good father despite your handicap. 

I didn't mean your handicap, I meant your disability. [shakes her head] The fact that you're retarded. 

That's not the right word. [exasperated] I don't know what to call you!

To which he replies:

Sam. You can call me Sam. 

 

As you have seen above, people with disabilities have the same name as other have - HUMAN.

Of course there are various impacts which build our quandary, so…

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT?

Of course we can try to solve the problem on our own, but sometimes it's much easier to get appropriate information from the people and right organizations, e.g. charities.

In the day of the internet everything is at hand, so there is nothing between a CLICK and useful guidelines for us. Many of them are even suitable for specific kind of health issue.

General etiquette tips include not only word help. The point of our body language is described as well. As we know from everyday life the ability of interpersonal communication has high significance and it's not as easy as ABC, especially in a unique cases as disabilities are, which should not seem so unique at this times.

If you believe that you might need some kind of easily accessible advices, here are some pages for you to browse:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/15/disability-etiquette_n_3600181.html

http://www.robohand.net/some-dos-and-donts-when-interacting-with-people-with-disabilities/

http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/comucate.htm

https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32276

 

Say goodbye to your efforts and follow the rules given by them and you will find interacting with people with disabilities less complicated than without them. 

Don't forget to consider that there is always some issue in people's characters, gender, interests etc., which could make our talk much harder and there is no briefing sheet containing instructions about every one of us.

EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT 

author – Nicole Hartun

 

Bibliography:

http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=18
http://uiaccess.com/accessucd/interact.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/15/disability-etiquette_n_3600181.html
http://www.robohand.net/some-dos-and-donts-when-interacting-with-people-with-disabilities/
http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/comucate.htm
https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32276