HOW CAN I MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
There are many things that you, as an individual, can do to make people with a disability feel welcome in your daily life.
Here are a few tips to guide you:
- Treat ALL people as PEOPLE first—as I would like to be treated.
- Speak directly to the person with a disability or difference, not only to the nearby companion, family member, interpreter or the canine companion.
- Offer to shake hands when introduced to a person with a disability. (Persons with limited hand use or wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. Shaking with the left hand is OK too.)
- Place myself in a chair at eye level for easy conversation with a person using a wheelchair or walker.
- Offer assistance and wait until the offer is accepted. I will wait for instructions, but not insist.
- Give my whole unhurried attention to a person who has difficulty speaking rather than speak for the person. I may help by asking short questions that require short answers, a nod or a shake of the head, or a written answer.
- Encourage a person with a disability to participate in the life of the parish.
- Treat adults with an intellectual disability as adults, not as children. I will use first names only when using the same familiarity for all persons.
- Seek the attention of someone who is hearing-impaired by lightly tapping their elbow or shoulder, or by waving my hand. I will look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly and expressively to establish if the person can read my lips.
- Guide a person with visual impairments by giving verbal clues to door, step, curb or escalators. I will identify myself.