Communicate confidently with people with disability
Communicating with people who have disabilities can feel awkward.
Have you ever noticed yourself or someone else speaking more loudly to a person in a wheelchair?
Or slowing your speech when talking to a person wearing very dark glasses?
Your intent to be helpful and mindful of disability could backfire.
And not all disabilities are visible or obvious.
December 3 spotlights the International Day of People With Disability.
Spend some time today learning how to communicate confidently with people with disability and about them.
The Australian Government Style Manual’s website has a clear information page on how to “use inclusive language that respects diversity”, such as:
☑️ Focus on the person, mentioning disability only when it’s relevant to your message or interaction.
☑️ Use person-first language when you don’t know individual or community preferences, i.e. describe the person and then the disability.
The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations offers general tips for communicating with people with disability and for different types of disability, like:
🚫 Don’t exaggerate your mouth movements when talking to a person with a hearing impairment as this will actually make it hard for them to lip-read.
🚫 Avoid saying or writing negative or pity-prompting expressions. For example, ‘people who use a wheelchair’ is preferred to ‘wheelchair bound’.
People with Disability Australia has published a guide that puts the need for inclusive and respectful language around disability in context and offers preferred alternative phrases.
For excellent tips on how to ask people with disability what their communication needs are and be open to communicating differently, the Queensland Government’s Disability Action Week webpage offers various valuable resources: www.qld.gov.au/daw.
Want to improve your communication with people of all kinds or ability? book a complimentary and unconditional Communication Coaching Clarity Call.