1. ENJOY Good Day! ACCESS SERIES This is your 30-Second Training:
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2. How should you refer to a customer with a
disability when talking to a colleague?
By their name, or if I don’t know their name by using “People
First” language.
As “that nice wheelchair guy who always brings in muffins”.
As “the learning disabled kid who wants to be a _______”
(fill in the blank: “CNA”, “Over-the-Road-Trucker”, etc…)

3. Wrong… Please try again… Wheelchair guy? Really?
If he’s nice enough to bring in muffins,
the least you can do is find a better way
to describe him.
Hint: If you asked him to describe
himself, do you think he would call
himself “Muffin Guy”? Probably not,
and even if he did, that is his
prerogative – not yours!
This isn’t the correct answer to the question.
Please try again…

4. That’s not right… Please try again! “The learning disabled kid…” is
probably not how his mother or
friends would describe him. To them,
he is more than his disability, and
they probably don’t consider that to
be his most defining characteristic.
You can do better…
Please try again!

5. CORRECT!
Positive language empowers. When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, it is important to put the person first. Group designations such as "the blind," "the retarded“ or "the disabled" are inappropriate because they do not reflect the individuality, equality or dignity of people with disabilities. Further, words like "normal person" imply that the person with a disability isn't normal, whereas "person without a disability" is descriptive but not negative. Individuals are sometimes concerned that they will say the wrong thing, so they say nothing at all—thus further segregating people with disabilities. Check out this chart to see examples of positive and negative phrases.
This 30-Second Training has been developed using Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under Contract No.: DOLJ131A The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations
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