How to Greet a Disabled Person
I've experienced this, and my disability is not that immediately obvious, and I am sure many people who have a disability have experienced the same thing. The awkward greeting.
This page is to help the abled-bodied individuals to know how to greet and talk with someone that has a disability. A lot of people, if they know you have a disability before they meet you, will go into autopilot mode, commonly:
If you have been one of the |
people that have greeted someone in this way, we understand you are trying to be helpful, and be inclusive, but it can be frustrating too.
Try to do these things:
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back on someone if they're involved in the conversation - I had a disabled specialist social worker appointed to me at one time, I sat on the sofa,
The worst thing you can do if someone says, "I'm disabled," in response to your question, such as "What did you do to your arm/leg?" is say sorry. We are happy for who we are, and apologising is almost the same as saying that we can't be happy. |