Tips for Working with People with Disabilities

Student Disability Services
SDS-JHU@jhu.edu
410-516-1107

Tips for working with:

• Any person with a disability

• • The student is usually the best person to ask about their needs.

• • Some disabilities are visual, many are not; you may not know the person has a disability.

• • Consider each person individually; the guidelines below should be helpful but may not apply in a particular case.

• • Ask before providing assistance.

• • Interact directly with the person, not an interpreter or personal care assistant.

• • Get to know the person; dispels stereotypes, increases comfort.

• • Ask about strengths and weaknesses to have a better idea of how to explain material.

• • Ask questions to check for understanding.

• • Contact SDS if:

• • • You have any questions or concerns.

• • • What is requested seems to be unreasonable or to conflict with standards. 

 

• People who have attention deficit disorder

• • May struggle with focus and attention in the classroom, but may not show signs of it one on one.

• • Conduct meetings in reduced distraction areas whenever possible.

• • Highlight key points or concepts.

• • May need things explained or repeated more than once.

• • May benefit from breaking things down into smaller pieces or putting a single problem on a page.

• • Could benefit from working through problems as you discuss them; have the student teach you.

• • Check in more frequently to make sure the student is understanding.

• • May have trouble with timelines or follow through.

• • Refer student to SDS if you suspect a student may have undiagnosed ADHD; this is pretty common!

• People who have a learning disability

• • Tend to learn best through a multi-sensory approach.

• • May need to have things explained in different ways.

• • Pause between ideas/concepts to allow for more time for processing.

• • Could benefit from working through problems as you discuss them; have the student teach you.

• • May find diagrams or pictures helpful in explaining concepts.

• • May benefit from using mnemonic devices or tricks to assist with memorization; highlight key points or concepts.

• • Refer student to SDS if you suspect a student may have undiagnosed LD; this is pretty common!

• People who are on the autism spectrum

• • Select a central location to meet that the student is familiar with if possible.

• • Develop a set schedule if possible; prepare student ahead of time if changes are needed.

• • May have trouble with eye contact and making small talk.

• • May be very sensitive to stimuli.

• • May understand material/concept but may need assistance developing confidence, prioritizing or understanding what to do on a homework or lab report.

• • Breaking things into smaller segments can be helpful.

• • May need more time to process information.

• • May be helpful to be very clear and concrete about things such as it being time to end the session.

• People who are hard of hearing

• • Students may or may not use hearing aids.

• • Speak in a normal tone and volume. Speaking loudly is often not helpful and may distort your speech; speak loudly only if asked to do so.

• • Face the person when speaking and keep your hands away from your face.

• • May not want people to be aware of the hearing loss.

• People who are deaf

• • If a person is using an interpreter, speak and look directly at the student, not the interpreter.

• • Most deaf students have experience communicating with the people who can hear.

• • Let the person guide you as to how best to communicate.

• • Make sure you have the person’s attention before speaking to them.

• • To get a person’s attention, gently tap them on the shoulder, wave or use another visual signal.

• • Face the person when speaking as they may rely heavily on visual cues.

• • Only about 33% of spoken language can be picked up by lip reading; try another word instead of repeating the same one.

• People with physical or mobility impairments

• • Choose an accessible location to meet; make sure the space is large enough for the person to move around if they use a wheelchair or scooter.

• • Can be caused by a wide range of physical and medical conditions; may fluctuate in severity.

• • Ask before giving assistance.

• • If you are speaking to someone who is using a wheelchair, sit down or adjust your position so you are speaking on the same level (don’t lean on the wheelchair).

• • Be aware of road and sidewalk conditions when walking with a person who uses a wheelchair.

• People who have low vision

• • May not be able to see you or find you easily; make a plan to meet in a particular place.

• • 80% have some vision (legally blind is anything beyond 20/200).

• • May try not to let others know about their vision loss.

• • May need to meet in a central or well-known location that they choose.

• • May need to enlarge things or work in large format.

• • May need to cover visually-intensive material more slowly.

• • May need to clarify things covered in class that they could not follow visually.

• People who are blind

• • Identify yourself when you approach so the person knows that you are there.

• • Ask before offering assistance; offer your arm for the person to take.

• • Don’t worry about saying “I’ll see you later.” Such conventions are not offensive..

• • Provide visual descriptions instead of gesturing or pointing.

• • Be descriptive when providing directions; when guiding someone to a chair, place their hand on the back of it.

• • Refer to people by name if you are speaking in a group setting.

• • Guide dogs should not be treated as a pet.

• People who have a psychological or medical conditions

• • If a person lets you know about such a condition, you may want to ask how you can help.

• • Conditions may be intermittent, episodic and/or temporary.

• • Flexibility with attendance, deadlines and participation may be needed.

 

• • Encourage students to register with SDS, especially if needs are significant or continuing.