Etiquette Makes Headway For Workers With Disabilities

Hartford Courant, CT, USA
Monday, October 29, 2007

Etiquette Makes Headway For Workers With Disabilities

By MILDRED CULP

The concept of etiquette particular to working with people who have 
disabilities may come to you as a shock. Are there special rules? The answer is 
both "yes" and "no." Etiquette always comes down to making people feel 
comfortable.

Consider the informative, entertaining "Disability Etiquette: Tips On 
Interacting With People With Disabilities," by Judy Cohen, available in English 
and Spanish. It is published by the United Spinal Association in Jackson 
Heights, N.Y., which was established by World War II veterans to help people 
with spinal cord-related conditions lead fulfilling lives. However, the 
brochure covers a wider range of disabilities than you may know about. Its main 
message is that you need not feel uncomfortable among people with disabilities, 
but if you're "unsure about what to do or say ... just ask!"

Here are some of its suggestions:

"Ask before you help." In other words, allow the person a chance to be 
independent, just as you would anyone else.

 "Be sensitive about physical contact." This, again, is true with anyone, but 
it's particularly important among people with a disability because contact 
could throw the person off-balance.

"Think before you speak." Don't strike up a conversation about a person's 
disability. Although it may be visible to you, it's the person's private 
matter. Again, the first thing you say to a person you meet does not delve into 
his innermost thoughts, does it?

"Don't make assumptions." Give people with disabilities free rein in deciding 
what they can and can't do, just as you would anyone else.

"Respond graciously to requests." A request for an accommodation at work 
indicates a degree of comfort that you'd want anyone to have.

Tucson-based Dan Barrett is global co-chairman of Raytheon Persons with 
DisAbilities. Legally blind since birth, he prides himself on improving 
processes as a method of showing that removing a barrier for a person with a 
disability removes barriers for all.

He wants people to "acknowledge the value a person brings to the team or the 
company, because sometimes [their disability allows them to] bring a different 
set of tools," he says. "For instance, in my past job, I often had to modify 
screens and systems to be able to enter data at a quicker rate. I'd set up a 
platform, and cut and paste. [Using this method] my co-workers became more 
efficient, too."

The same inclusiveness he seeks in training Raytheon employees is evident in 
conversation with Charles Roman, a graphic designer. He has muscular dystrophy, 
which requires him to use a motorized wheelchair. Working since 1990, he 
recalls matter-of-factly that his previous employer "asked me for my advice 
about [renovating] the bathroom." His spirit is such that it inspires you to 
think of him only as a person, for whom his disability is a secondary fact. He 
works today at United Spinal Association.

In countering stereotypes, Roman says, "We can produce just as much as an 
able-bodied person, relative to the job. Don't judge us by our wheelchairs or 
walking aids, or whatever we use to get around our disability. A disability 
isn't irrelevant, but some people might think it relevant to your level of 
production. In some cases, it is relevant. I've been able to find jobs where I 
cannot be given favors, as such, and am treated equally, relative to my 
production and efficiency."

Barrett concedes that he has worked himself to a comfortable spot: "I don't 
deal with a lot of people who don't have a clue because we've worked to 
increase awareness."

"Disability Etiquette," or "Reglas de Etiqueta frente a una Persona con 
Discapacidad," is available free at www.unitedspinal.org or 1-800-444-0120 
(single copy only). Multiple print copies, at $1.25 each, plus shipping and 
handling, may be ordered by calling 1-800-444-0120.

Mildred Culp writes columns on workplace issues.


http://www.courant.com/business/hc-mildred1029.artoct29,0,4336960.story
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