What are the best practices for communicating with people who have disabilities?

This advice is clearly written by someone who is non-disabled. Most of the disability community have a strong preference for identity first language, not person-first language. If you can't see a disabled person as a person because of their impairement or difference, you are ableist.

This is a very complex topic. For many people, especially in younger generations, disability is an identity. Identity first language emphasizes the opposite of person first — embracing the disability. Example uses: Deaf people Disabled professionals Autistic community The best thing you can do is ask. But do not assume that all disabled people prefer to be called “people with disabilities”.

The answer is more complex than shown. I disagree that it's only "Use Person-First Language" as the exclusive means - as it presumes there is only one way to refer to disability. To the disabled community that includes me, there are 2 ways to refer to disability: (1) Person-First Language (PFL) which recognizes humans with disabilities ("a person with a disability"); (2) Identify-First Language (IFL) recognizes disability as part of an individual's identity and connects them to their culture and community ("Deaf Person"). It is up to the disabled person to choose which best reflects who they are. Always ask the person how they wanted to be referred to or identified as. It is inappropriate for a non-disabled person to choose for us.

I would say the most important thing above all, is to ask questions? In my case people who ask get more comfortable faster than those who don't.

We should never assume. Full stop. Because not all disabilities are visible, we never know when an accommodation might be useful and should never assume that it is, or that it isn’t. If someone appears to struggle, and you are in a position to assist, ask them 1) if you may help and 2) what would be most helpful. Create space for them to clearly and safely articulate their need.

It's presumptuous to assume you know someone else's abilities. First ask IF you can help, then ask HOW you can help. The first disables the assumption that the person is incapable and the second respects the agency of the person to tell you what they can/can't (or even will/won't) do.

In almost any situation- listen first. Really, truly. Listen. Even if you don't learn anything new (albeit I holpe all of us would!!), it will greatly diminish your chances of getting it wrong.

Communicating with people who have disabilities requires sensitivity and understanding. Always ask before providing assistance—some may prefer independence. Respect their choice to accept or decline help. Use clear, simple language and maintain eye contact when speaking. When communicating with someone who has a hearing impairment, ensure good lighting and face them directly. For visually impaired individuals, identify yourself and speak audibly before initiating conversation. Overall, prioritize respect, patience, and open communication.

As a 17 year old student in the 1970s I had a summer job as a swimming pool lifeguard. Disabilities were not so 'visible' as they are today. A gentleman in shorts entered the pool area, sat on the side and proceeded to remove a prothstetic limb below one of his knees. I had never seen such a thing, let alone seen someone with just one leg swimming. I approached and asked, very politely in the way we were taught to talk to adults, if I could offer any assistance, and got my head chewed off for assuming he was somehow incapable of helping himself. Respect works two ways. I ended up being the one offended because the gentleman assumed that my offer of assistance was somehow insulting to his abilities. Communicating well can be tough!

For me, this goes without saying. Regardless of ability status one should always communicate in a respectful and attentive way. I recently had a student in class who is blind. She simply wanted what everyone else did, to be treated with decency and respect. She mentioned that often times people will speak louder when talking to her or become otherwise awkward in their interactions. Fortunately, she made allowances for our ignorance and taught us so much about her perspective and experience. We are better now because of her but approached the relationship from a place of compassion, curiosity, and respect.

Los mejores resultados se obtienen tratando a la persona de igual a igual, facilitando su comprensión de acuerdo a su discapacidad, no desconociendo su problema y siendo siempre respetuoso y humano mostrando que todos llevamos alguna situación no buscada.

Not just patience, but discipline also are vital virtues. But it all comes down to the language of love. After all we all know to love our neighbours as our self.

Respeite e seja extremamente gentil e educado com as diferen?as. Seja simples ao falar e agir que haverá uma grande conex?o entre vocês. Essa é a minha principal dica

During a conversation with a person who has a hearing impairment, maintain eye contact, speak clearly, and face them directly. If they lip-read, ensure good lighting and avoid covering your mouth while speaking.

In the planning phase of a project, adding a line for inclusion and accessibility at every topic helps develop the habit of offering various communication methods. For example, at the beginning of the presentation, explain how to turn on the close captioning, what are the translation options once the recording is made public, which alternative formats are available. If there are supporting materials, share 48hours prior and in alternative formats as much as possible. Every effort will be noticed.

Avoid using glyphs and emojis in social media posts and comments. Some adaptive displays and software do not render or read these marks in an easily understandable manner. When using hashtags, use Pascal capitalization where the first letter of each compound word in a variable is capitalized. #PascalCapitalization is an example. This style is more compatible with some adaptive displays and software.

La inteligencia emocional no tiene idioma y puede contribuir cabalmente a atender a todo tipo de personas. Desarrollar las competencias propias de dicha inteligencia nos ayuda a relacionarnos de manera excelente.

This needs to be built in to every decision made in a business/education. Is this 100% accessible to all our customers? Technology has advanced enough that it should be a requirement that it be accessible to all.

Provide information in multiple formats such as text, audio, video to accommodate various disabilities. Use accessible fonts, colours with high contrast, and simple language. Ensure that materials are compatible with screen readers for visually impaired individuals. Listen actively by paying attention and listening to different communication styles and adapt accordingly. If meeting in person, ensure that the environment is accessible like ramps for wheelchair, and adequate space movement. Consider the need for quiet areas for individuals with sensory sensitivities.

Or pay an occupational health professional to advise you on fitness and whether adjustments may assist. They are the experts!

Do not make disabled people responsible for educating you on disability inclusion. Do your homework, pay experts for training, buy books and resources produced by disabled people. DO NOT expect your disabled staff to educate you for free, on top of their normal workload, and certainly don't pretend that exploiting disabled workers to fill your knowledge gaps is somehow doing a favour for the disabled people tolerating your demands for education.

We shouldn’t limit disabilities to learn and progress further in their education nor career. I started to see more and more companies are open to hire disabilities to progress in their career. From a company perspective, I believe HR should start to tailor made some role, task or even position for disabilities so they don’t left behind and still able to earn their own living. I truly respect companies that started to look into this area as this is part of ESG. Social responsibility to the community is a great example for a good company to excel further. A great company is doing well as a company by doing good for the society!!

In my experience, it’s so important to combine active listening with your own self-education. I certainly don’t have the balance down pat, but there are basic things we can research (e.g. physically accessibility of a space, industry recommendations for accessible text, links… ), so we can come prepared for any discussions.

It is often best to simply share what you have learned with others who do not have access to the particular book, expert, conference or experience. As we share, we discover new insights and we help other as well. It is often expected that the general public should be aware about the specifics of certain disability, but that should not be a starting point as those expectations are often false and create wrong assumptions. Instead of expecting people to know, it is much better to find ways and teach them. Even if they know the facts, they probably miss many of the nuances you live with and think about much more than someone who does not interact with a particular person or group with the disability. It is up to us to be our advocates.

This question assumes that everyone who has a disability also struggles with communication. Today I have spent the day with a woman who needs a wheelchair to mobilise. She does not need different communication strategies due to her disability. She may need different strategies to me due to things such as leaning styles/preferences but I believe all humans thrive when we communicate with each other in a way that works for that person (and vice versa).

Communication is intrisincally two-way. True communication requires listening, not just putting messages out. The biggest test in communicating with people with disability is in your ability to listen and to take responses seriously.

For example you could have offered a chance to respond to these questions with a vocal message, and to listen to the same instead of just asking people to input via text message.

When I worked at Google, a priority was writing help content for all users. For example, instead of writing “You’ll see a screen appear,” we’d say, “A screen appears” — which is more inclusive if someone is using a screen reader. Another example is saying “select” instead of “click or tap.” The lesson here is that language bias pops up through everyday words often without the writer realizing. It helps to get clear on ways you can write around assumptive words by identifying alternatives and documenting them in a style guide.

When communicating with people who have disabilities, it's important to prioritize inclusivity and respect. Use clear and concise language, ask if they have specific preferences, and be patient. If someone has a visible disability, avoid making assumptions about their abilities. Additionally, consider accessibility needs, like providing alternative formats for written information or ensuring physical spaces are wheelchair-friendly. Ultimately, treating everyone with dignity and adapting communication styles based on individual needs fosters a more inclusive environment.