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Workforce Diversity
If your workforce is going to effectively include people with a wide range of
disabilities, their supervisors and coworkers need to be able to communicate
effectively with them. They need to overcome their awkwardness and reservations
about the disability "factor". The Ten Commandments
of Communicating with People with Disabilities, using humor and solid
information can be an effective tool for becoming "disability-friendly".
Customer Service
If your company or organization is going to offer a high
quality of customer service to your patrons or clients with disabilities, all of
your employees need to have a basic level of comfort and understanding about how
to effectively communicate with people with various disabilities.
The Ten Commandments
of Communicating with People with Disabilities is an entertaining and
engaging tool for developing that basic level of understanding and skill.
The Power of Attitudinal Barriers
Did you know that...
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40% of employed
people with disabilities report
said that they have encountered job discrimination?
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33% of
employed people with disabilities report
that they have
encountered "unfavorable attitudes" toward their disabilities on the job?
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22%
of employers cite supervisor/co-worker attitudes and
stereotypes as a major barrier to employment & advancement of
employees with disabilities?
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15% of non-disabled
people report not feel comfortable working for, or
nearby, a person with a disability?
It is
no wonder that most places of employment are not effective at hiring/retaining
employees with disabilities!
The 10
Commandments Response:
This is the best video we have seen for combating these
"attitudinal barriers". The Ten Commandments is an excellent tool for
"disability awareness" training. This video has
been consistently praised by employers throughout North America.
While focusing on disability "etiquette",
the video also delivers a compelling portrait of people with disabilities as
competent, contributing, and affable participants in the workforce.
In the video, key learning
objectives are delivered through entertaining and light-hearted vignettes
built around the following "Commandments":
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Speak
directly rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter who may be
present.
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Offer to
shake hands when introduced. People with limited hand use or an artificial limb
can usually shake hands and offering the left hand is an acceptable greeting.
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Always
identify yourself and others who may be with you when meeting someone with a
visual disability. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person
to whom you are speaking. When dining with a friend who has a visual
disability, ask if you can describe what is on his or her plate.
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If you
offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen or ask for
instructions.
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Treat
adults as adults. Address people with disabilities by their first names only
when extending that same familiarity to all others. Never patronize people in
wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulder.
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Do not lean
against or hang on someone’s wheelchair. Bear in mind that people with
disabilities treat their chairs as extensions of their bodies. And so do
people with guide dogs and help dogs. Never distract a work animal from their
job without the owner’s permission.
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Listen
attentively when talking with people who have difficulty speaking and wait for
them to finish. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, or
a nod of the head. Never pretend to understand; instead repeat what you have
understood and allow the person to respond.
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Place
yourself at eye level when speaking with someone in a wheelchair or on crutches.
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Tap a
person who has a hearing disability on the shoulder or wave your hand to get his
or her attention. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and
expressively to establish if the person can read your lips. If so, try to face
the light source and keep hands, cigarettes and food away from your mouth when
speaking. If a person is wearing a hearing aid, don’t assume that they have the
ability to discriminate your speaking voice. Never shout to a person. Just
speak in a normal tone of voice.
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Relax.
Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use common expressions such as “See you
later” or “Did you hear about this?” that seems to relate to a person’s
disability.
Feedback on The Ten Commandments
"The video, Ten Commandments of
Communicating with People with Disabilities, is such a great training tool
that we purchased one for each Director to use in their region as part of
employee training."
Delena Sunday, Executive Vice President, Diversity Affairs,
Nordstrom
"Presented by Tim Harrington, an
executive who was born with cerebral palsy, Ten Commandments is 25 minutes
of enlightening interactions. Each commandment is presented with a wonderful
blend of clarity, tolerance and sometimes humor."
Deborah Kendrick, Syndicated Columnist of Disability Issues
"We showed it to our entire
staff, and half the employees asked to borrow it afterwards for their church
groups, softball teams and other extra curricular activities. Tim
Harrington's a hoot! Everyone loves the condescending, interrupting lady.
What an actress! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Mary Beth Ahern, Denver Options
The 10 Commandments Package
The Ten
Commandments Package includes: the 26 minute VHS or DVD and 20 pages of camera-ready
reproducible resources guides (as handouts for viewers).
Captioning
The VHS
format is
fully formatted for accessibility. On each cassette, the closed captioned (CC)
version is followed by a second version with open captioning and audio
descriptor (for viewers with visual impairments).
The DVD format includes an open captioned version also.
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