Etiquette is not only speech, but also our manners. You can embarrass both yourself and your interlocutor if you do not know how to behave with a person with certain disabilities. Below we give recommendations written by people with disabilities based on their own experience. They give tips on how to behave correctly, without feeling uncomfortable in contact with people with disabilities.

Ten rules of etiquette written by people with disabilities:

  1. When speaking to a person with a disability, address the person directly, not the attendant or sign language interpreter who is present during the conversation. Do not speak of the person with a disability present in the third person, referring to their attendants, all your questions and suggestions should be addressed directly to this person.
  2. When speaking to a person who has difficulty communicating, listen to him or her carefully. Be patient, wait until he/she finishes the sentence. Do not correct or finish for him. Don’t hesitate to ask him/her if you don’t understand what he/she is saying.
  3. When conversing with a person who has poor or no vision, be sure to identify yourself and the people who have come with you. If you are having a general conversation in a group, remember to identify yourself and explain to whom you are addressing at the moment. Be sure to give a warning out loud when you step aside (even if you are only stepping aside for a short time).
  4. Do not rush to the aid of a person with a disability unless you have been asked to help. If you want to help, first ask if your help is needed. If it is necessary, ask what to do and how to do it, and then act. If you do not understand, do not hesitate to ask again.
  5. For example: if it is necessary to accompany a blind person, do not grab him or her by the hand, but ask how you can help him or her to orientate in an unfamiliar place. The blind person will explain to you himself/herself how to do it better (someone asks permission to put his/her hand on the shoulder of the escort, someone prefers to take the escort under the elbow, someone will ask to take him/her under the elbow himself, someone’s verbal hints are enough, etc., etc.)
  6. When meeting a person with a disability, it is natural to shake their hand (if necessary the left hand, not the right) – even to someone who has difficulty moving their arm or who uses a prosthetic.
  7. A wheelchair, crutches, a white cane, a guide dog – these are part of the inviolable space of people with disabilities. Do not touch them! Leaning or hanging on someone’s wheelchair is the same as leaning or hanging on its owner. And a guide dog works, not just adorns a person with a disability – don’t pet it, feed it, etc. unless the owner allows it.
  8. When talking to a person in a wheelchair or a person of small stature, position yourself so that your eyes and theirs are at the same level. You will find it easier to talk, and your companion will not need to tilt his or her head back.
  9. Don’t be embarrassed if you accidentally say, “See you later,” or, “Have you heard about this…?” to someone who can’t really see or hear. People with hearing or visual disabilities use the same familiar words because they too can hear and see, just in a different way. When handing something over to a person who is blind, never say, “Feel this,” say it the way you would normally say, “Look at this. And to a person in a wheelchair, don’t say, “Come up, come through.” Say: “Approach there”, “Pass here” (the person drives a car or a train, and walks in a wheelchair).
  10. To get the attention of the person who is hard of hearing, wave your hand or pat on the shoulder. Look them straight in the eye and speak clearly, DO NOT shout. When speaking to someone who can read lips, make sure you have a clear line of sight and no one is in your way or in your way. But keep in mind that not all people who are hard of hearing can read lips.