Creating a Productive Environment for People with Disabilities

While we all must comply with the laws of the ADA, there are also additional ways to create a more comfortable, productive environment for people with disabilities. The following are some ideas to consider:

• Treat an adult with a disability as an adult. Speak as you would to anyone. Include him or her in the conversation. A person who can't see or hear you is not invisible.
• Ask before offering help. Some people who are blind prefer assistance; others do not. Some people are comfortable having their wheelchairs pushed; others are not.
• Let the person with the disability decide what he or she "can't do" or "won't be interested in."
• Include co-workers and classmates with disabilities in work and social activities.
• Keep your sense of humor. Everyone likes to laugh. It's cruel to laugh at or make fun of someone, but it's natural to laugh with friends and coworkers.
• Be yourself, and treat people with disabilities with honesty, openness, and respect.
• Take an honest look at your attitudes toward those with disabilities. Don't let prejudice keep you from discovering and benefiting from the unique things each person has to offer.
• Use people-first language. People-first language emphasizes the person, not the disability. By placing the person first, the disability is no longer the primary defining characteristic of the individual, but one of several aspects of the whole person. For example, use "people with disabilities" instead of "the disabled" or "the student with blindness" rather than "the blind student."