4 Tips for Working With People With Disabilities
Collaborating with people with disabilities is no different than working with anyone else in the workplace. A physical or mental disability just means that you must raise your awareness of someone else’s plight more than you might in other instances. Below are 4 helpful tips to ensure healthy working relationships.
Show people with disabilities that they have value in the world. The constant reinforcement of “you can’t do this” is taxing for those with disabilities and tremendously affects their self-esteem, self-worth, and confidence. To empower future generations, we must help the disabled community feel part of a larger community instead of isolated advocates, separate and apart from the larger population.
Many disabilities are invisible. Those with autism, deafness, epilepsy, and mental illness often suffer in silence because it’s hard for everyday people to “see” their ailment. Never assume you know someone’s struggle; instead, respectfully ask what a person is going through at the appropriate time. The battle of people with invisible disabilities is that they often have to validate their impediment while trying hard to avoid discrimination.
When working with a person who has a disability, it makes a huge difference when you educate yourself on their struggle. There is a vast amount of information online about particular disabilities and how you can better assist someone in improving their quality of life. Research national or local organizations that advocate for specific health issues. It may be hard to discuss, but you can discuss any problem if the dialogue is full of authenticity and respect.
Learn Proper Disability Etiquette
To treat those with disabilities with dignity, learning specific etiquette and cultural nuances is paramount. There will be times when a disabled person is not in the best mood or becomes triggered based on their health status. It is best to keep calm in this situation and refer to the first tip: be reflective. Exude the demeanor that will create the most influential work environment.
We hope you found these 4 tips for working with people with disabilities helpful! Metro Transportation takes pride in providing quality service for all clients, especially those who need a little extra help and patience during their travel.