General Considerations:

• Do not assume a person with a disability needs your help; ask before doing.
• If you offer assistance and the person declines, do not insist. If the person accepts, ask how you can best help and follow directions.
• If a person with a disability is accompanied by another individual, make eye contact with and address the person with the disability directly, not the companion.
• Avoid actions and words that suggest the person should be treated differently. It is appropriate to ask a person in a wheelchair to go for a walk or to ask a blind person if he or she sees what you mean.
• Treat people with disabilities with the same level of respect and consideration that you have for others.

Terminology:

• When referring to an individual who has a disability, mention the person before the disability. Say, "person with a disability," not "disabled person" or "the disabled."
• Avoid referring to people by the disabilities they have; use their names.
• People are not "bound" or "confined" to a wheelchair. Wheelchairs increase mobility and enhance freedom. It is more accurate to say "wheelchair user" or "person who uses a wheelchair."

Characteristics, considerations, instructional strategies, and possible accommodations for different disabilities:

- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders - Blindness/Low Vision - Brain Injuries - Deafness/Hard of Hearing - Learning Disabilities - Other Disabilities - Physical Disabilities - Psychiatric Disabilities - Speech and Language Disabilities