Effective Communication: What Do I Say and Do? Disability Etiquette 101 Effective Communication: What Do I Say and Do?

Jeannie Amendola, Administrative Assistant, Public Affairs, 2005 Walt Disney World Ambassador, Walt Disney World Resort John R. Macko, Director, Center on Employment, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology Moderator: Lou Orslene, Co-Director of the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a Service of DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy Goal: Is to increase your comfort and confidence about engaging with people with disabilities.

Five Signs Your Doors are Open. Accessible buildings, technology, etc Five Signs Your Doors are Open Accessible buildings, technology, etc. Inclusive policies and practices Inclusive public relations and marketing External partnerships with disability related groups such as the US BLN, RIT, JAN, etc. Inclusive ethos - particularly language We all communicate in various ways with or without a disability. Pay attention to cues from the person you are communicating with.

The Basics. Relax. Don’t make assumptions based on appearance alone The Basics Relax. Don’t make assumptions based on appearance alone. The best resource for information is the person, so Ask! Don’t be afraid to say that you do not understand if you have trouble understanding the person’s speech or request. Just because someone has a disability don’t assume s/he needs help. If the setting is accessible, people with disabilities can usually get around fine. When a person with a disability needs access to your workplace, website, or store etc. think about this in terms of practical access. Work towards removing physical, technology, and communication barriers that in turn provide access. We all communicate in various ways with or without a disability. Pay attention to cues from the person you are communicating with.

The Basics Use people first language – an individual who is blind or low sighted, an employee with hearing, a person who uses a wheelchair, – or if disability is not an issue no need to mention it at all. Never touch, lean on, or move a person's mobility device or wheelchair without consent. Do not touch, play with, distract or feed a service animal without permission. Maintain natural language and tone when interacting with people whom have disabilities.

Etiquette for Recruiting and Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

Etiquette for Retention and Advancement of Individuals with Disabilities JUST LIKE YOU: Treat people with disabilities just like anyone else.   SMILE: Remember to smile. Smiles are important during the meeting and greeting process. MAKE EYE CONTACT: Making eye contact is fundamental to both you and the person with a disability. Even with people who are blind, they can hear where your voice is coming from and know if you are directly facing them. SHAKE HANDS: Shake hands with a person who has a prosthetic hand or arm. Shake a prosthetic hand as you would do with anyone else. When meeting a person who is blind, you could say “I would like to shake your hand” in order to offer an auditory cue. If a person is unable to shake hands you could gently touch that individual on their arm during an introduction while smiling, speaking and looking directly at the person. Shake hands with your left hand with someone that does not have a right hand. BUSINESS HANDSHAKE: The business handshake is usually strong and confident. Be cautious shaking hands too hard with people who have arthritis or other conditions associated with their hands because your handshake can be painful. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY: If someone who experiences hearing loss requires sign language and no sign language interpreter is present, offer your business card and find paper and pen and write down what you would like to say. Reinforce what you say by directly facing the person in case they can lip read. PLACEMENT OF AN INTERPRETER: A person who uses a sign language interpreter should be the one to request where the interpreter sits or stands. If you are introduced to someone who uses a sign language interpreter speak directly to the person with hearing loss as you move your eyes and face in the direction of that person. Your facial expressions, gestures and expressions of animation and the intensity of your speech are important and will be noted by the person to whom you are speaking..

Jeannie Amendola - Jeannie. Amendola@disney Jeannie Amendola - Jeannie.Amendola@disney.com John Macko - jrmned@ntid.rit.edu Lou Orslene – Orslene@jan.wvu.edu