Interacting with persons with disabilities

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The State ADA Coordinator's Office:
Serves as a technical resource to State agencies for the ADA's Title II general nondiscrimination requirements, program accessibility, communications and employment (including the reasonable accommodation process);
Operates the statewide ADA facility improvements program;
Provides information about the ADA to the general public, collaborates with local ADA support systems; and
Increases the visibility of the ADA to help more citizens understand the letter and the spirit of the law.
The State ADA Coordinator's Office is a section of the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission.
Parts of this document reproduced with permission from the Georgia Commission on Access and Fairness in the Courts
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State ADA Coordinator's Office Publication revised 11/21/05

General Considerations
The most important thing State of Georgia employees can do in their day-to-day interactions with people with disabilities is to treat individuals with disabilities with the same courtesy, dignity and respect that you afford everyone else. There is no need to be nervous or apprehensive in talking and working with people with disabilities.
A person with a disability may be able to access every feature in a state facility but may be left out of activities if personnel exhibit negative or unhelpful attitudes to simple accommodation requests or requests for information. Eliminating these attitudinal barriers can help ensure that people with disabilities have full access to Georgia government programs, services and activities.
The Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Access and Fairness in the Courts has developed a reference guide for court officials when interacting with people with disabilities. Some tips from the guide are:

Don't make assumptions about the person or the disability.

Always speak directly to the person with a disability, not to a companion, assistant or sign language interpreter. Speak in your normal tone and do not raise your voice unless requested.

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If the person doesn't understand you, try again. Don't become anxious if you have to make repeated attempts at listening or speaking to ensure effective communication.
Do not assume that a person with a disability needs help. If someone looks in need of help, it is always appropriate to offer assistance with sensitivity. If your offer to assist is accepted, listen or ask for instructions before you act. Do not let it bother you if someone refuses your offer of assistance.
Generally, assistance with doors is greatly appreciated as long as you are clear of the path of travel.
Familiarize yourself with the facility's accessibility features and accommodation protocol. When people with disabilities ask for accommodations, they are not complaining. Rather, they are asking for what they believe necessary to fully and equally participate in that particular activity, service or program.
Respond courteously to all accommodation requests and be sure to promptly direct the request to appropriate personnel who can assist.
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Do not separate an individual with a disability from his or her service animal.
If the service animal misbehaves, or becomes out of the control of the person with the disability, that person is obligated to control the animal.
The U.S. Department of Justice authored a brochure about service animals that may be helpful in answering questions regarding service animals in Georgia. It is available online at: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/animal.htm.
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If possible, use symbols, pictures or actions to help convey meaning.
Ask concrete, open-ended questions. Avoid "yes-no" answers.
Allow for additional time to speak with participants and for them to respond.
When necessary, repeat information using different wording or a different communication approach. Allow time for the information to be fully understood.
Provide material on audiotape rather than in written form.
Service Animals
In addition to people who are blind and may use guide dogs, other people with disabilities may use animals to assist them. For example, some individuals with limited manual dexterity may have a service animal retrieve or pick up objects for them.
When interacting with people who use service animals, consider the following tips:
Avoid petting or touching a service animal while the animal is working.
Do not feed a service animal or distract a service animal in any way.
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Not all disabilities are apparent. Because of the stigma associated with certain disabilities, people may be reluctant to disclose a disability or ask for an accommodation. If someone looks as though he or she may not understand you, do not ask them if they have a disability. Instead, ask in a respectful way if there is an alternative method for facilitating communication.
Special Considerations for Supervisors and Managers
Top-level leadership and commitment are essential in developing an environment where access is not only a requirement but an expectation for all citizens.
Carefully evaluate requests for accommodation made by people with disabilities. Although the agency makes the final decision regarding the most appropriate accommodation for each particular situation, allow yourself to be educated by people about their disabilities. The individuals have experience and information regarding their disabilities and are usually able to suggest the best way to accommodate their needs.
Use person-first language. Put the person ahead of the disability in order to communicate your recognition that the person's disability is not the most important part of the person's identity. For example, it is
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more polite to say "the job applicant with a disability" than "the disabled applicant" or "the handicapped applicant."
Train your staff to be sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities. Patience and flexibility are important because, just as with most other citizens, many people with disabilities will not be familiar with the procedures and practices of your agency.
Using Person-First Language
In verbal and written communication, use personfirst language consistently. Person-first language recognizes that a person's disability is not the most important part of that person's identity.
Using person-first language is an effort to be polite and sensitive and not an attempt to restrict the use of language.
Put the person ahead of the identifier of the disability in a given sentence. For example, saying "people with disabilities" is more appropriate, thoughtful and sensitive than saying "disabled people."
Avoid language that is insulting or dehumanizing. Words like "crippled," "deafmute" and "deformed" while once commonly used are now considered offensive when applied to individuals with disabilities.
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learning disorder, however, may be able to function adequately despite the disorder, perhaps even to the extent that the disorder is never discovered or diagnosed. It is important, however, not to approach an individual with any preconceived notions as to his or her specific capabilities. Not everyone who is slow speaking is cognitively impaired.
Many government-related terms and concepts are complex and may be difficult to understand. People with some form of cognitive disability, however, may be reluctant to disclose their disability or to disclose that they do not understand the information being presented. If you suspect that someone may be struggling to understand, ask,"This is very complicated. May I explain this in a different way that may make it easier to understand?" The use of simple, easily understood language will benefit all participants -- not only people with disabilities.
When interacting with people who have cognitive disabilities, consider the following tips:
Speak clearly and slowly and keep sentences short.
Break complicated information or instructions down into shorter, distinct parts and avoid complex terms.
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Be aware of an individual's reach limits. Place as many items as possible within the grasp of a wheelchair user. If a service counter is too high for a wheelchair user to see over, step around it to provide service. Also, have a clipboard available if filling in forms or providing signatures is expected.
Sit down and/or position yourself at the same eye contact level when speaking with a wheelchair user for more than a few moments.
Provide a chair for someone who has difficulty standing for an extended time.
People who are not visibly mobility-impaired may, have medical needs that impact their ability to get around a facility. For example, a person with a heart condition may have trouble walking quickly or long distances and may need chairs or benches to sit and rest on.
Interacting With People Who Have Cognitive Disabilities
The wide variance among the mental capabilities of those with cognitive disabilities (any disability affecting mental processes) complicates matters because a person with mental retardation will not have the same needs as a person who has attention deficit disorder or autism. A person with profound cognitive disabilities will need assistance with nearly every aspect of daily living. Someone with a minor
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To avoid repetitive usage in long documents, switch around the order of words that appear frequently on one page. For example, consider using "Georgians with disabilities" but keep the person-first pattern consistent.
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Interacting with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
There is a broad spectrum of hearing loss among Georgians, ranging from mild hearing loss to profound deafness. Most Georgians with hearing loss can be accommodated when assistive listening devices are available. However, in certain situations, more individualized accommodations, such as Communication Access Realtime Translations (CART) or sign language interpreters, are necessary to facilitate effective communication.
When interacting with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, consider the following tips:
There are a wide range of hearing losses and communication preferences. If you do not know the individual's preferred communication method, ask.
Make direct eye contact. Natural facial expressions and gestures will provide important information to your conversation. Keep your face and mouth visible when speaking.
Before speaking to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, get the person's attention. To get a person's attention, call his or her name. If there is no response, lightly touch the person's arm or shoulder.
If you are asked to repeat yourself several times, try rephrasing your sentence.
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A person's cane is part of the individual's personal space, so avoid touching it. If the person puts the cane down, don't move it. Let the person know if it is in the way.
Interacting With People Who Have Mobility Limitations
A mobility impairment involves the partial or complete
loss of use of any of an individual's limbs. Mobility impairment refers to a broad range of disabilities which include orthopedic, neuromuscular, cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders. Many things can cause mobility impairment including disease (polio), spinal cord trauma (a motor vehicle accident) and disorders occurring at or before birth (cerebral palsy).
Many disabilities which cause mobility impairment are visible because individuals may rely upon assistive devices such as wheelchairs, scooters, crutches and canes. Other disabilities that cause mobility impairments, such as arthritis, are invisible but need to be taken equally seriously.
When interacting with people who have mobility limitations, consider the following tips:
Avoid touching or leaning on a person's wheelchair, scooter or walking aid without permission. People with disabilities consider their mobility devices as part of their personal space.
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When interacting with people who are blind or visually impaired, consider the following tips:
Identify yourself and address the individual by name so the person will know you are speaking to him or her.
It is appropriate to ask, "Would you like me to guide you?" If your offer is accepted, let the person take your arm just above the elbow.
Offer to read written information.
Provide all standard printed information available to the public concerning policies, practices and procedures in an alternate format such as Braille, audio tape, electronic format or large print. Efforts should also be made to provide information at kiosks or posted signage in an audible format.
If the individual has a guide dog, walk on the side opposite the dog. As you are walking, describe the setting, noting any obstacles such as stairs ("up" or "down") and objects protruding from the wall at head level.
Never pet a guide dog (or any other service animal) before getting permission from its handler to do so. The dog is working and must concentrate.
If you need to leave a person alone, inform the person first and make sure there is a rail, wall or something else he or she can touch.
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Writing information down may facilitate communication.
When speaking to a person who lip-reads or is hard of hearing, speak clearly. Do not exaggerate your speech. Shouting does not help communication.
The role of a sign language interpreter is to facilitate communication between people who do not share a common language. Therefore, interpreters should not participate or be included in the communication outside of that role and function.
Good lighting is important to facilitate clear communication.
Range of deafness and hard of hearing:
Individuals who are hard of hearing or late deafened (those who became deaf after acquiring speech and language skills) may use hearing aids, cochlear implants, and/or assistive listening devices to support their residual hearing or they may not use any augmentative devices at all. They may use lip reading skills to facilitate one-on-one communication and may use sign language or oral interpreters in group settings. Individuals who are hard of hearing or latedeafened commonly use spoken English as a method of communicating verbally and may or may not know how to communicate with sign language.
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Individuals who are "prelingually" or "culturally" deaf are those who were born deaf or became deaf prior to acquiring speech and language skills. They most likely will use American Sign Language (ASL) or a form of English sign language to communicate and may or may not have lip reading skills. Some individuals may use hearing aids or cochlear implants to augment residual hearing.
Individuals who are deaf-blind are those who are deaf or hard of hearing and are also blind or have low vision (also called partial sight) that cannot be satisfactorily corrected with glasses, contacts or surgery. They aren't necessarily profoundly deaf and totally blind; they may have "tunnel vision" and be hard of hearing. To communicate, they may use tactile sign language, fingerspelling or printin-palm. They may also require either close or far proximity for clarity of visual field or they may need an interpreter to sign in a small space. For written communication, individuals who are deaf-blind may rely extensively on Braille, a system of raised dots to represent letters. Depending on the type of vision loss they have and if they communicate using sign language, these individuals may or may not have special requirements to accommodate their visual field and language needs.
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Interacting with People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Blindness is the total or partial inability to see because of a disease or disorder of the eye, optic nerve or brain. Legal blindness is defined as a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse with the best possible correction. Someone with a visual acuity of 20/200 can see at 20 feet what someone with normal sight can see at 200 feet.
Vision impairment means that a person's eyesight cannot be corrected to a "normal" level. It is a loss of vision that makes it hard or impossible to do daily tasks without specialized adaptations. Vision impairment may be caused by a loss of visual acuity where the eye does not see objects as clearly as usual. It may also be caused by a loss of visual field where the eye cannot see as wide an area as usual without moving the eyes or turning the head.
Visual acuity alone cannot tell you how much a person's life will be affected by vision loss. It is important to also assess how well a person uses the vision he or she has. Two people may have the same visual acuity, but one may be able to use his or her vision better to do everyday tasks. Many people who are "blind" may have some usable vision that can help them move around in their environment and do things in their daily lives.
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When interacting with people who have speech or language disorders, consider the following tips:
Give the person your full attention. Don't interrupt or finish the person's sentences. Listen patiently and carefully.
Do not assume that a person with a speech impairment doesn't understand you.
If you have trouble understanding, ask the person to repeat the statement. If, after trying, you still cannot understand, ask the person to write it down or suggest another way of facilitating communication.
If necessary, repeat your understanding of the message in order to clarify or confirm what the person said.
Provide a quiet environment to make communication easier.

Some individuals who are deaf may have had only limited exposure to formal language (spoken or signed) and consequently are not fluent in ASL or English. They may or may not have an effective gestural communication form that can be used to give or receive information. Therefore, providing communication access for individuals who have minimal linguistic competency will be most challenging. This process is most often facilitated by working with a certified hearing interpreter in conjunction with a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI).

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Interacting with People Who Have Speech or Language Disorders
Speech and language disorders are inabilities of individuals to understand and/or appropriately use the speech and language systems of society. Such disorders may range from simple sound repetitions and occasional misarticulations to the complete absence of the ability to use speech and language for communication. Speech and language problems can exist together or independently. Some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss, stroke, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, cleft lip or palate and vocal abuse or misuse. Frequently, however, the cause is unknown.
Speech problems affect how the communication message sounds. There is a speech problem when so many speech sounds are distorted that the speaker cannot be understood, when there is no source of sound because the vocal cords have been surgically removed, or when stuttering disrupts the natural rhythm of the oral message. Speech disorders include fluency disorders, motor speech disorders and voice disorders:
A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm and repetitions in sounds, syllables, words and phrases. This interruption may be accompanied by excessive tension, struggle behavior and secondary mannerisms. Stuttering is a type of fluency disorder.
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A motor speech disorder is an impairment of speech arising from damage to the central or peripheral nervous system that can affect a person's speech, voice and breath support for communication and swallowing. Often, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) lead to motor speech disorders.
A voice disorder is characterized by the abnormal production and/or absence of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance and/or duration, given an individual's age and/or sex. Vocal abuse and misuse are the most prevalent causes and preventable types of voice disorders.
Language disorders are the impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written and/or other symbol systems. Language refers to a code made up of a group of rules that cover what words mean, how to make new words, how to combine words and what word combinations are best in what situations. A person who cannot understand the language code has a receptive language problem. A person who is not using enough language rules to share thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely and appropriately has an expressive language problem. One type of problem can exist without the other, but often they occur together in children and adults.
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