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Interacting with Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities may perceive situations and express themselves differently from others. It is important to understand your loved one’s ways of expression so you can support them in social interactions if needed. Besides being the ‘bridge’ between your loved one and others, you can also empower your loved one to express their own views, and encourage others to speak to them directly.

In this section

Helping others interact with your loved one with autism

  Key points

  • Be literal, clear and concise when speaking, avoiding sarcasm and metaphors which may cause confusion.

To help others when they interact with your loved one, you can share the following tips with them:

  • In a group setting, take turns to speak to avoid speech overlaps and confusion1.
  • Speak literally and directly (i.e., avoiding the use of metaphors, sarcasm, irony etc).
  • Choose an environment with more open space to speak as they may not be comfortable with crowds or smaller spaces.
  • Use verbal and non-verbal communication supports such as sentence scripts, visuals, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
  • Provide honest, non-judgmental and clear feedback to them, especially if they unintentionally communicate in an inappropriate manner.

Raising Awareness on Disability

  Key points

  • Raising awareness of your loved one’s disability may help to promote greater understanding among the people around them and enable relationship building.
  • Use simple terms to describe your loved one’s disability to others.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to handle different perspectives.

Your loved one’s family, friends, schoolmates or colleagues may not know how to interact with them, or understand about their disability. Encourage and support your loved one to raise awareness about their disability among the people around them, as this can foster greater understanding and enable relationship building.

To encourage deeper understanding of your loved one’s disability and create a more inclusive community, create greater awareness in your relatives and friends by sharing with them contents from news articles, TV programmes or social media related to your loved one’s disability. You may also consider volunteering to give awareness talks at their school or workplace to educate their classmates or coworkers directly. People tend to relate better when they hear directly from someone with a lived experience such as persons with disabilities or their caregivers. Such exposure may promote greater understanding and empathy towards persons with disabilities. It may also help others around your loved one better understand how their response and action can affect those with disabilities.

Here are some recommendations for raising disability awareness:

  • Use simple terms to describe the disability to others, keeping in mind the target audience’s maturity and level of disability awareness.
  • Respond to questions about your loved one’s disability in a calm and appropriate manner.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to hear different perspectives, correcting misconceptions where necessary. Help them understand how they can interact with your loved one.
  • Highlight your loved one’s abilities, not just their needs.

Footnotes:

1https://www.ncss.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ncss-publications-doc/pdfdocument/understanding-persons-with-disabilities-removing-barriers-pdf.pdf

Resources

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Read This If You Don't Know How To Talk To Someone With Autism 9 Tips for Interacting With Individuals With Autism 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents
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Helping others interact with your loved one who are deaf or hard-of-hearing

  Key points

  • If your loved one is a sign language user, encourage those who want to communicate with them to learn and use sign language.
  • If your loved one prefers lip-reading, encourage others to speak slowly and clearly in a quiet and well-lit area.

To help others when they interact with your loved one, you can share the following tips with them:

  • If your loved one uses sign language, encourage those who often come into contact with them to learn it as well, for more effective communication and to complement spoken language. Sign language refers to a visual-manual language with its own grammar and linguistic structure that are different from those of spoken languages2. Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) is the native sign language recognised and used by the local Deaf community3.
  • To get their attention, call their name first if they have residual hearing or tap them. Try getting their attention from the front to avoid alarming them.
  • Find a well-lit place to communicate in sign language or for them to read your lips. If they need to hear you, find a place that is sufficiently quiet.
  • Speak clearly, slowly and slightly loudly. You do not need to exaggerate lip movements.
  • Do not shout when engaging in conversation, especially if they wear hearing aids. This may make the sound level uncomfortable for them.
  • Be patient when there is a need to repeat your words, or rephrase into simpler sentences using more common terms. Some words are harder to lip-read or understand than others.
  • Consider the use of simple aids (e.g., pen and paper or typing on your mobile phone) to increase effectiveness of communication.

Raising Awareness on Disability

  Key points

  • Raising awareness of your loved one’s disability may help to promote greater understanding among the people around them and enable relationship building.
  • Use simple terms to describe your loved one’s disability to others.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to handle different perspectives.

Your loved one’s family, friends, schoolmates or colleagues may not know how to interact with them, or understand about their disability. Encourage and support your loved one to raise awareness about their disability among the people around them, as this can foster greater understanding and enable relationship building.

To encourage deeper understanding of your loved one’s disability and create a more inclusive community, create greater awareness in your relatives and friends by sharing with them contents from news articles, TV programmes or social media related to your loved one’s disability. You may also consider volunteering to give awareness talks at their school or workplace to educate their classmates or coworkers directly. People tend to relate better when they hear directly from someone with a lived experience such as persons with disabilities or their caregivers. Such exposure may promote greater understanding and empathy towards persons with disabilities. It may also help others around your loved one better understand how their response and action can affect those with disabilities.

Here are some recommendations for raising disability awareness:

  • Use simple terms to describe the disability to others, keeping in mind the target audience’s maturity and level of disability awareness.
  • Respond to questions about your loved one’s disability in a calm and appropriate manner.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to hear different perspectives, correcting misconceptions where necessary. Help them understand how they can interact with your loved one.
  • Highlight your loved one’s abilities, not just their needs.

Footnotes:

2https://www.enablingguide.sg/articles-details/exploring-sign-language-and-its-benefits

3https://sadeaf.org.sg/about-deafness/about-sign-language/

Resources

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Communicating with People with Hearing Loss Communicating with people who have hearing loss Budget 2024: Support for Persons with Disabilities
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Helping others interact with your loved one with intellectual disability

  Key points

  • Use short sentences and simple words to convey your message clearly.
  • Frame your questions in a manner your loved one can understand and respond to accurately.

To help others when they interact with your loved one, you can share the following tips with them:

  • Use short sentences and simple words that are easy to understand.
  • Ask “Yes” or “No” questions instead of open-ended questions if they have difficulty responding.
  • Ask questions beginning with “who”, “what” and “where”. These are generally easier to answer than “when”, “why” and “how”.
  • Provide two to three options when a decision needs to be made.
  • Provide them with more time to respond. If they cannot respond, try paraphrasing.
  • Consider using supplementary visual forms of communication such as gestures, diagrams or demonstrations.

Raising Awareness on Disability

  Key points

  • Raising awareness of your loved one’s disability may help to promote greater understanding among the people around them and enable relationship building.
  • Use simple terms to describe your loved one’s disability to others.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to handle different perspectives.

Your loved one’s family, friends, schoolmates or colleagues may not know how to interact with them, or understand about their disability. Encourage and support your loved one to raise awareness about their disability among the people around them, as this can foster greater understanding and enable relationship building.

To encourage deeper understanding of your loved one’s disability and create a more inclusive community, create greater awareness in your relatives and friends by sharing with them contents from news articles, TV programmes or social media related to your loved one’s disability. You may also consider volunteering to give awareness talks at their school or workplace to educate their classmates or coworkers directly. People tend to relate better when they hear directly from someone with a lived experience such as persons with disabilities or their caregivers. Such exposure may promote greater understanding and empathy towards persons with disabilities. It may also help others around your loved one better understand how their response and action can affect those with disabilities.

Here are some recommendations for raising disability awareness:

  • Use simple terms to describe the disability to others, keeping in mind the target audience’s maturity and level of disability awareness.
  • Respond to questions about your loved one’s disability in a calm and appropriate manner.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to hear different perspectives, correcting misconceptions where necessary. Help them understand how they can interact with your loved one.
  • Highlight your loved one’s abilities, not just their needs.

Resources

View More
Tips to Communicate with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities How to Speak with Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Budget 2024: Support for Persons with Disabilities
View More

Helping others interact with your loved one with physical disabilities

  Key points

  • Speak with them at their eye level to maintain eye contact throughout the conversation.
  • Respect their personal space by not touching their Personal Mobility Aids such as wheelchairs or walking aids or grabbing their arms.

To help others when they interact with your loved one, you can share the following tips with them:

  • Ask if they require assistance and how to help before assisting them.
  • If they use a personal mobility aid (PMA) such as a wheelchair, speak with them at their eye level by either standing at a distance or sitting down. This enables them to maintain eye contact with you without straining their necks.
  • Your loved one may not feel comfortable with others touching their PMA when conversing with them. It might be viewed as an invasion of their personal space.
  • Use their preferred mode of communication to converse (e.g., Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)).
  • Avoid grabbing their arms if they use canes or crutches as they require their arms for balance. If necessary, you could seek their consent to support them.

Raising Awareness on Disability

  Key points

  • Raising awareness of your loved one’s disability may help to promote greater understanding among the people around them and enable relationship building.
  • Use simple terms to describe your loved one’s disability to others.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to handle different perspectives.

Your loved one’s family, friends, schoolmates or colleagues may not know how to interact with them, or understand about their disability. Encourage and support your loved one to raise awareness about their disability among the people around them, as this can foster greater understanding and enable relationship building.

To encourage deeper understanding of your loved one’s disability and create a more inclusive community, create greater awareness in your relatives and friends by sharing with them contents from news articles, TV programmes or social media related to your loved one’s disability. You may also consider volunteering to give awareness talks at their school or workplace to educate their classmates or coworkers directly. People tend to relate better when they hear directly from someone with a lived experience such as persons with disabilities or their caregivers. Such exposure may promote greater understanding and empathy towards persons with disabilities. It may also help others around your loved one better understand how their response and action can affect those with disabilities.

Here are some recommendations for raising disability awareness:

  • Use simple terms to describe the disability to others, keeping in mind the target audience’s maturity and level of disability awareness.
  • Respond to questions about your loved one’s disability in a calm and appropriate manner.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to hear different perspectives, correcting misconceptions where necessary. Help them understand how they can interact with your loved one.
  • Highlight your loved one’s abilities, not just their needs.

Resources

View More
Understanding Persons with Disabilities Interacting with Persons with Physical Disabilities Budget 2024: Support for Persons with Disabilities
View More

Helping others interact with your loved one with visual impairment

  Key points

  • Use clear, descriptive language when describing the environment and people around them.

To help others when they interact with your loved one, you can share the following tips with them:

  • Identify and introduce yourself first. In group settings, introduce the names of everyone present.
  • Address them (i.e. call their name) before speaking to them especially in a setting with other people, as they may not be aware that you are speaking to them.
  • Use a normal tone and pace of speaking as their hearing is intact.
  • When describing the environment and people around them, use clear, descriptive language. For example, when giving directions, you could say “to your left” or use landmarks they are aware of, instead of vaguely saying “over there”.
  • Let them know if you need to step away from the conversation. If required, ask them where they would like to be left (e.g., with another person they know or to stand at a wall instead of an open space for easier navigation).
  • Ask if they require assistance and how to help before assisting them.
  • You do not need to avoid using phrases like “it looks good” or “see you again”.

Raising Awareness on Disability

  Key points

  • Raising awareness of your loved one’s disability may help to promote greater understanding among the people around them and enable relationship building.
  • Use simple terms to describe your loved one’s disability to others.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to handle different perspectives.

Your loved one’s family, friends, schoolmates or colleagues may not know how to interact with them, or understand about their disability. Encourage and support your loved one to raise awareness about their disability among the people around them, as this can foster greater understanding and enable relationship building.

To encourage deeper understanding of your loved one’s disability and create a more inclusive community, create greater awareness in your relatives and friends by sharing with them contents from news articles, TV programmes or social media related to your loved one’s disability. You may also consider volunteering to give awareness talks at their school or workplace to educate their classmates or coworkers directly. People tend to relate better when they hear directly from someone with a lived experience such as persons with disabilities or their caregivers. Such exposure may promote greater understanding and empathy towards persons with disabilities. It may also help others around your loved one better understand how their response and action can affect those with disabilities.

Here are some recommendations for raising disability awareness:

  • Use simple terms to describe the disability to others, keeping in mind the target audience’s maturity and level of disability awareness.
  • Respond to questions about your loved one’s disability in a calm and appropriate manner.
  • Be open-minded and prepared to hear different perspectives, correcting misconceptions where necessary. Help them understand how they can interact with your loved one.
  • Highlight your loved one’s abilities, not just their needs.

Resources

View More
Basic Sighted Guide Techniques Do's and Don'ts When Interacting with a Person who is Blind A guide to interacting with people with visual impairments
View More

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