Think before you speak. Always speak directly to the person with a disability, not to his companion, aide or sign language interpreter. Making small talk with a person who has a disability is great; just talk to her as you would with anyone else. Respect her privacy. If you ask about her disability, she may feel like you are treating her as a disability, not as a human being. (However, many people with disabilities are comfortable with children’s natural curiosity and do not mind if a child asks them questions.)
* Note: We want you to think of people who have a disability as individuals—your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors—so rather than use the amorphous group term “they” for people with disabilities, we use the pronouns “he” or “she” .
Don’t make assumptions.
People with disabilities are the best judge of what they can or cannot do. Don’t make decisions for them about participating in any activity. Depending on the situation, it could be a violation of the ADA to exclude people because of a presumption about their limitations.
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