I found this article a couple weeks back. It's been getting a good deal of attention via StumbleUpon, so I wanted to share the "7 Things" here and get Disaboomers' feedback. Do you agree with Diversity Inc.? Here are the seven things they recommend "NEVER to Say to People with Disabilities."
1. "What's wrong/what happened?" or "Were you born that way?"
People
view their disabilities differently. While some people may feel
comfortable discussing their conditions, these are still very personal
questions. They most definitely should not be the first questions you
ask when meeting someone with a disability. And what's "wrong" should
never be asked.
"In
the wider community, I have had perfect strangers come up to me and
instead of greeting me or saying hello, they say, 'What's wrong? What
happened?'," says Tim Vaughn, a rule and marketing director with
Eastman Kodak Co., No. 2 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for
People with Disabilities and one of the 2008 DiversityInc 25 Noteworthy
Companies. "When this happens, I try to set the example by suggesting
we greet each other as people first."
2. "Oh, if you just have faith, you can be healed."
Suggesting
that a person can be "fixed" by a religious or medical breakthrough is
not only insensitive, it also discounts the diagnosis of a qualified
doctor. This, for some newly diagnosed people, may make dealing with
medical issues more difficult.
"Some
people are problem-solvers by nature and they want to help fix what
they perceive is your problem. While I appreciate where their good
nature comes from, it's not the best thing to do," Vaughn says.
3. Speaking slowly or loudly to someone who is in a wheelchair.
A
common misconception is that people with physical disabilities, such as
a motor or sensory impairment, also have other disabilities,
particularly mental disabilities.
"When
people see someone in a wheelchair, they automatically begin making
assumptions," says Vaughn. "From my personal perspective, if
individuals see someone in a wheelchair, they immediately assume that
there are multiple disabilities that the person is dealing
with--mental, visual, auditory--and not just the fact that there is a
mobility issue."
4. "I don't even think of you as a person with a disability."
People
with disabilities and advocates debate whether this is a "compliment"
or an insult; however, many warn that it can come across as degrading a
person. "What they're trying to say, in their own way, is that I think
of you as capable and able or even powerful," says Deb Dagit, chief
diversity officer for Merck & Co. (No. 21 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®
list). "But it comes across just exactly like saying 'I don't think of
you as a woman,' or 'as Black,' or 'as Asian,'" adds Dagit, who has
brittle-bone disease.
5. "How do you go to the bathroom?"
Questioning
how someone uses the restroom is a rude question--period. It can be
especially offensive to a person with a disability because it assumes
that person has trouble managing basic tasks. And while you may be
curious about how a person with disabilities manages things, unless
your coworker volunteers the information, it's really none of your
business.
6. "But you look so good."
There is no doubt that in today's corporate America
that keeping a good game face is important to one's success. While this
can be difficult for some people with disabilities, no one wants to
have his or her work discounted.
"Comparing
the appearance or ability of a person with a disability to a person
without a disability has the same underlying messages as saying to a
women, 'Your report was well done, for a girl,'" Susan Henderson,
managing director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
(DREDF), tells DiversityInc.
7. "Oh, you're here, you must feel better."
It's
wrong to assume that because someone is at work, he or she is feeling
better, or not affected by his or her disability that day. For people
with chronic or "invisible" illnesses, becoming accustomed to living
with the disability is a necessary part of an individual's day-to-day
life.
(Hannah)
Read the whole article here.
