Working with People with Disabilities
Disability Awareness Quick Reference Guide Giving Words Some Thought
Six Easy Ways to Build Inclusion
Instead Of…
Try…
Handicapped
People with disabilities; people with special needs
Retarded
Developmentally challenged
Gifted children
Advanced learners
Uneducated
Lacking a formal education
Old people
Seniors; the elderly
Bitchy
Assertive
Spaz
Spasticity; uncontrolled limbs
Handicap
Disability
Handicapped
People with disabilities
Crippled with
Person who has (name the illness or disease)
Deaf and dumb
Deaf person who is unable to speak
Birth defects
Disabled since birth
Wheelchair bound
Person who uses a wheelchair
© Velsoft
Develop relationships. Be friendly and welcoming to people. Just because someone is disabled does not mean they are looking for special treatment. Inclusion means that we include people, consider their needs, and treat them with courtesy. Ask, instead of always offering help. Sometimes we automatically leap to help people, despite the fact that they do not want our help. Ask them if you can help. People with disabilities are people, not the equipment that serves them. Do not talk down to people who are seated in a wheelchair. Grab a chair and sit level with them. Don’t push or touch their wheelchair without asking them. Don’t use their wheelchair as a perch for your coat or supplies. Be clear in your communication, including your instructions. People with developmental disabilities and some learning disabilities may not be able to follow complex, multi-step directions. This can happen to non-disabled people too! Make sure your instructions are in easy-to-follow chunks. Aim to please. Most of us look for acceptance, and some of us want to please. This can create challenges in the workplace, so it’s important that you understand your staff, their abilities, and their limitations. Treat service animals with respect. Service animals work for their owner. You should never, ever touch a service animal, or the person they support, without permission. The animal will be very committed to doing their job. Any distraction that you create can disrupt their concentration, upset that routine, and prevent them from serving the person they support.
LearningWorks Training
Intl. Symbol for Accessibility
Talking about Disabilities Hi, my name is Darryl, and I am calling you from HR with ABC Company. In addition to being your human resources consultant, I also help employees who are off work due to an extended illness or injury by coordinating return to work plans. I have received a note/form from your doctor and need to speak with you. I want to assure you that anything that we discus is confidential, and not shared with your work area without your express permission. Is this a good time to talk, or do you need me to call back at another time? (Assuming this is a good time, proceed. If it isn’t, arrange a time to call back.) Thank you very much. Part of my role is to also help you to return to work when you are able to do so. Anything that you say to me is confidential, and so although it may seem that I am asking you some personal questions, I need to do that in order to get a good idea of how to help you come back to work successfully, and to get an idea of where you are at in your treatment.
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
Sample Work Plan Information Request Please place a checkmark next to the appropriate work placement. Interim Work Placement o Sedentary activity (i.e., mainly sitting) o No requirements to lift, carry, or climb Light Duties o Standing and/or sitting as required o Walking or moving from one task area to another o Limited lifting, pushing, pulling (no more than 10 kg/22 lbs.) o Limited carrying (no greater than 5 kg/10 lbs.) o No climbing
Medium Duties o Standing, walking, sitting as required o Limited lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling (no more than 15 kg/33 lbs.) o Limited climbing Regular Duties (no restrictions) List any restrictions not captured above:
Are restrictions and limitations temporary or permanent? Indicate the anticipated duration at the level indicated above by writing in a date or number of weeks below:
Name: Signature: Date:
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
The STOP Technique
Creating Accessible Parking
S: State the inappropriate behaviour objectively. T: Tell the offender how you feel when s/he performs this behaviour. O: Give the offender options. P: Focus on positive results.
You will usually find that the number of total parking spaces dictates that a certain number of spaces are designated for disabled parking and that they are the closest spaces to the door. Regulations differ by region so check your local laws. Remember that some disabled workers will drive large vehicles to transport a wheelchair or motorised scooter. These vehicles Example: “Bob, when you call my ideas retarded, it and their lifts sometimes require additional width for really hurts my feelings and makes me feel devalued. I maneuverability. would prefer that you use a different word, like silly or illogical. It would be even better if you could simply ask Spaces for disabled parking need to be clearly marked so that me to explain my idea further. I really feel that this they are available for disabled drivers. could improve our working relationship and our There’s not much point in creating accessible parking spaces communication skills. I think our ads would be a lot unless everyone can get in the building! more creative, too.” Ramps need to be in place and in good repair.
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
Six Easy Ways to Build Inclusion
Instead Of…
Try…
Handicapped
People with disabilities; people with special needs
Retarded
Developmentally challenged
Gifted children
Advanced learners
Uneducated
Lacking a formal education
Old people
Seniors; the elderly
Bitchy
Assertive
Spaz
Spasticity; uncontrolled limbs
Handicap
Disability
Handicapped
People with disabilities
Crippled with
Person who has (name the illness or disease)
Deaf and dumb
Deaf person who is unable to speak
Birth defects
Disabled since birth
Wheelchair bound
Person who uses a wheelchair
© Velsoft
Develop relationships. Be friendly and welcoming to people. Just because someone is disabled does not mean they are looking for special treatment. Inclusion means that we include people, consider their needs, and treat them with courtesy. Ask, instead of always offering help. Sometimes we automatically leap to help people, despite the fact that they do not want our help. Ask them if you can help. People with disabilities are people, not the equipment that serves them. Do not talk down to people who are seated in a wheelchair. Grab a chair and sit level with them. Don’t push or touch their wheelchair without asking them. Don’t use their wheelchair as a perch for your coat or supplies. Be clear in your communication, including your instructions. People with developmental disabilities and some learning disabilities may not be able to follow complex, multi-step directions. This can happen to non-disabled people too! Make sure your instructions are in easy-to-follow chunks. Aim to please. Most of us look for acceptance, and some of us want to please. This can create challenges in the workplace, so it’s important that you understand your staff, their abilities, and their limitations. Treat service animals with respect. Service animals work for their owner. You should never, ever touch a service animal, or the person they support, without permission. The animal will be very committed to doing their job. Any distraction that you create can disrupt their concentration, upset that routine, and prevent them from serving the person they support.
LearningWorks Training
Intl. Symbol for Accessibility
Talking about Disabilities Hi, my name is Darryl, and I am calling you from HR with ABC Company. In addition to being your human resources consultant, I also help employees who are off work due to an extended illness or injury by coordinating return to work plans. I have received a note/form from your doctor and need to speak with you. I want to assure you that anything that we discus is confidential, and not shared with your work area without your express permission. Is this a good time to talk, or do you need me to call back at another time? (Assuming this is a good time, proceed. If it isn’t, arrange a time to call back.) Thank you very much. Part of my role is to also help you to return to work when you are able to do so. Anything that you say to me is confidential, and so although it may seem that I am asking you some personal questions, I need to do that in order to get a good idea of how to help you come back to work successfully, and to get an idea of where you are at in your treatment.
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
Sample Work Plan Information Request Please place a checkmark next to the appropriate work placement. Interim Work Placement o Sedentary activity (i.e., mainly sitting) o No requirements to lift, carry, or climb Light Duties o Standing and/or sitting as required o Walking or moving from one task area to another o Limited lifting, pushing, pulling (no more than 10 kg/22 lbs.) o Limited carrying (no greater than 5 kg/10 lbs.) o No climbing
Medium Duties o Standing, walking, sitting as required o Limited lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling (no more than 15 kg/33 lbs.) o Limited climbing Regular Duties (no restrictions) List any restrictions not captured above:
Are restrictions and limitations temporary or permanent? Indicate the anticipated duration at the level indicated above by writing in a date or number of weeks below:
Name: Signature: Date:
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
The STOP Technique
Creating Accessible Parking
S: State the inappropriate behaviour objectively. T: Tell the offender how you feel when s/he performs this behaviour. O: Give the offender options. P: Focus on positive results.
You will usually find that the number of total parking spaces dictates that a certain number of spaces are designated for disabled parking and that they are the closest spaces to the door. Regulations differ by region so check your local laws. Remember that some disabled workers will drive large vehicles to transport a wheelchair or motorised scooter. These vehicles Example: “Bob, when you call my ideas retarded, it and their lifts sometimes require additional width for really hurts my feelings and makes me feel devalued. I maneuverability. would prefer that you use a different word, like silly or illogical. It would be even better if you could simply ask Spaces for disabled parking need to be clearly marked so that me to explain my idea further. I really feel that this they are available for disabled drivers. could improve our working relationship and our There’s not much point in creating accessible parking spaces communication skills. I think our ads would be a lot unless everyone can get in the building! more creative, too.” Ramps need to be in place and in good repair.
© Velsoft
LearningWorks Training
