“Inclusive Communication” How can I effectively communicate when a person has a developmental disability? The Missouri Adult Protective Services Conference November 29, 2007

Goals of this session At the conclusion of this session, you will— be familiar with the basic model for communication which can be used in any communication situation be able to use the basic communication model be able to adapt your communication style to meet the needs of people with disability

My assumption You know how to do your job—interview people; investigate; effectively communicate. This session is designed to give you some information and pointers which will enhance your repertoire of communication tools so you are able to work with a wider range of people.

Introduction “How can I effectively communicate with a person with a developmental disability?” Why are you asking this question? Why is effective communication important in your work? What constitutes effective communication?

Key Principle #1: People with disabilities are people first.

What is a developmental disability? System perspective Community/social perspective Personal perspective Definition Deficiency focus Program eligibility diagnostics Attitudes & beliefs Roles Status contributions My life as I live it Interests, gifts & talents Hopes and dreams Control of my life and destiny

Federal definition from the Developmental Disability Act Physical or mental impairments that begin before age 22, and alter or substantially inhibit a person’s capacity to do at least three of the following: take care of themselves speak and be clearly understood learn walk/ move around make decisions live on their own earn and manage an income

Examples of developmental disability People with autism Folks with cerebral palsy Someone who has had a traumatic brain injury A person with hearing impairment Other examples?

Caution!! A disability is only one characteristic of the person (don’t let the disability be life defining How a disability presents itself varies from person to person (don’t over generalize from the disability label Distinguish the person with a disability from the impairment

Social Perspectives Acceptance Roles & relationships Friend Neighbor Co-worker Spouse Church member Rejection Target for ridicule, abuse, personal gain Recipient of charity & pity Cause of fear/anxiety Isolation & segregation

Personal perspective “We are people first!” We want Opportunity Choice Competence Control A life

Key Principle #2: Effective communication with someone who happens to have a disability begins with using effective communication strategies.

Elements of Communication sender message receiver

Effective Communication Skills InitiatingResponding Active Listening Process

Initiating Skills Starting communication (Proposing): Introduces a new idea, suggestion or proposal; is actionable Adding on to an idea (Expanding) : Enlarges, extends or develops an existing proposal

Ways of Responding Agreeing  actively supports a person’s idea or suggestion Disagreeing  expresses a lack of support or agreement Attacking  attacks another person directly Defending  attempt to ward off an attack, whether real or perceived

Ways of Responding Positive responses Agreeing  actively supports a person’s idea or suggestion Disagreeing  expresses a lack of support or agreement Negative responses Attacking  attacks another person directly Defending  attempt to ward off an attack, whether real or perceived

Active Listening Skills Giving information  the sender provides facts, opinions or thoughts Seeking information  sender asks questions to clarify information or collect more information Reflecting  receiver seeks to identify the emotion of the sender on the basis of non-verbal information Checking in  receiver seeks to determine if an earlier communication has been perceived accurately Summarizing  receiver recounts in compact form previous communication

Process Skills Bringing in  Solicits participation from a person present, but not verbally contributing Shutting out  Excludes a person’s participation by seeking to stop their participation The goal in effective communication is to achieve a balance across participants

Tips on Listening and Asking Questions Listen first, then talk Give the person a chance to speak before you ask questions Don’t assume, second guess or jump to conclusions Provide comments or suggestions if invited after the other person is finished Seek to separate emotional accusations or statements from the facts

More Tips... Don’t react to an attack with another attack be attentive; maintain eye contact with the speaker use verbal reactions to indicate listening be relaxed and prepared to invest time to hear the “whole story”

Possible breakdowns in the communication process: the sender’s perspective Physical “articulation” Formulating the message (figuring out what to say) Clearly expressing the message (conveying the info so receiver understands)

Possible breakdowns: the receiver’s perspective Literally “hearing” the message Understanding the content of the message Processing the message

Possible breakdowns: the message Lack of a commonly understood vocabulary & syntax Difficulty placing the message in context Does the “medium” of the message work for both parties?

Key Principle #3: Effective communication means tailoring your approach for each individual and the particular situation.

Tailoring the process If the person has a physical disability If the person has a vision impairment If the person has a hearing disability What about a speech disability? If there is a cognitive disability What if the person uses non-symbolic forms of communication?

Key Principle #4: Everyone communicates!

Symbolic v. non-symbolic communication forms Symbolic Abstract representations of reality Socially agreed upon vocabulary & syntax Specificity Non-symbolic More concrete Pictures Gestures Body language More individually defined vocabulary More difficult to interpret

Key principle #5: Improving our ability to communicate “inclusively” takes practice.

Some ideas which might help improve inclusive communication 1. Ask people you interview for feedback, e.g., is our interview going OK so far? 2. work with a partner so you can get feedback 3. use opportunities to improve your skills, rather than avoiding them 4. spend time with people with disabilities 5. get and use information

“Listen with an intensity that most people save for talking.”