by Donna Fredericksen
Have you ever had a salesperson talk to your companion about what it is you want to buy? Have you ever had to ask a business to keep its ramps clear so you can access it easily? If you’re one of the 56 million Americans with a disability, chances are you’ve been in a situation like these where you’ve had to educate a stranger or put someone at ease over your disability.
October is Disability Awareness Month, and what better way to raise awareness about disabilities than by sharing with someone United Spinal Association’s informative pamphlet entitled Disability Etiquette? The 53-page guide was developed to help people interact effectively and respectfully with people who have a variety of disabilities, from mobility impairments and blindness to traumatic brain injury and HIV/AIDS.
Disability Etiquette, by Judy Cohen and with illustrations by Yvette Silver, provides some basic tips for anyone in business to expand their practice, better serve their customers, or develop their audience by practicing disability etiquette to make people with disabilities feel welcome.
One of United Spinal’s most popular publications with 250,000 copies in print, Disability Etiquette addresses a variety of situations that people with disabilities encounter and suggests, through words and “Do and Don’t” style cartoons, the proper etiquette for each. It is filled with useful reminders such as asking before attempting to help a person with a disability and always speaking directly to the person, not to his or her companion, aide, or sign language interpreter. These simple and clearly explained tips will help anyone understand what is appropriate and what is not when interacting with a person who has a disability.
Free single copies of Disability Etiquette, in English or in Spanish, can be obtained by calling the Association’s automated request line at 1-800-444-0120. The pamphlet may also be downloaded at www.unitedspinal.org.
Donna Fredericksen is director of Public Affairs.
I was given a copy of your Disability Etiquette and would like to acquire copies for our Mega Disability Conference held each year in Wyoming. This is the biggest disability conference in the State and we would like to promote your pamphlet. Do you donate copies?
Carla,
How many copies would you be interested in? If you’d like you can contact our office (see information below) and we can discuss this.
I look forward to talking with you.
Chris Pierson, Managing Editor
Carla,
Please contact my office and I will be more than happy to discuss our publication, Disability Etiquette.
Thank you.
Devera Lynn, Director of Marketing
718.803.3782 ext.237
I am the Disabilities Employment Coordinator for the Bureau of Reclamation in Sacramento, CA. I will be participating in a Diversity fair and would like to hand out copies of your pamphlets. Do you donate any of your pamphlets?
Thanks
Jackie Rodriguez
hello i work for Independent Living Resource Center in California advocating for people with disabilities. i am interested in your booklet Disability Etiquette. i can’t get it to download. could i receive any free copies? is it legal to photocopy them?
thanks.
I picked up a copy of “Disability Etiquette” at an ADA Expo recently in my hometown of Gainesville, Florida. I love it! I coordinate a support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis. I have recommended this booklet to the members of my group and am hoping to get enough copies for all of them. I think it is a beneficial guide, not only for businesses, but also for people with disabilities who might have trouble asking for the help they need or have difficulty putting into words how they would like to be treated. It can be used as a tool for friends and family members, who are unsure how to treat the person whom has been diagnosed with MS and is living with its effects on a daily basis, so that they may learn some proper “disability etiquette”. In the case of MS, a person who has been diagnosed most likely did not have a disability before their diagnosis, so the effects of the disease are new not only to the person with MS but those that are a part of their lives.
I joked to my group that this booklet should be mailed to every home in America. They agreed.
Thank you!!
I would love to have 25 copies of Disability Etiquette, if possible, sent to my home address above. It is an excellent Publication and I would love to have the copies for an upcoming training! Look ofrward to hearing from you!