ADA Trainer Network

Module 2e

Everyone is Different:

A Review of Types of Disabilities

Trainer’s Name Phone

Trainer’s Title Email/Web Address

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 Disclaimer
Information, materials, and/or technical assistance are intended solely
as informal guidance, and are neither a determination of your legal
rights or responsibilities under the ADA, nor binding on any agency
with enforcement responsibility under the ADA.

The Mid-Atlantic ADA Center is authorized by the National Institute on

Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide information,
materials, and technical assistance to individuals and entities that are
covered by the ADA. The contents of this document were developed
under a grant from the Department of Education, NIDRR grant number
H133 A110020. However, those contents do not necessarily represent
the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume
endorsement by the Federal Government.

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 About Specific Disabilities

Neurological disabilities
Physical and Mobility disabilities
Speech disabilities
Learning disabilities
Psychiatric disabilities
Hearing disabilities
Visual disabilities
Intellectual disabilities

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About Neurological
Disabilities…
(e.g. Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain
injury, stroke)

May affect:
• Physical functioning
• Interactions with others
• Learning and memory
– The course and effects of the disability are
unique to each individual

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Neurological Disabilities
Some key points…
Treat adults like adults
Don’t make assumptions! For example…
• People with neurological impairments may use
different ways of communicating – don’t assume
they are less intelligent
• People with neurological impairments may walk
differently; some may appear to be intoxicated
Offering help … ask if/how they would like assistance

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About Physical and Mobility
Disabilities…
• Includes any impairment that impacts a person’s use of
their body or limbs
• In 2002 there were 2.7 million wheelchair users
• In 2008 that number increased to 3.6 million
• 60% of wheelchair users are over age 65
• May involve using mobility devices, prosthetics, and other
equipment to aid in performing manual tasks or moving
around

Steimetz, 2006; Wheelchair.net, 2006

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Physical & Mobility Disabilities
Some key points…
• Evaluate whether your business is accessible to
someone using a physical or mobility aid
• Treat the device/aid as an extension of the person’s body. Never
touch/push on a mobility aid without the person’s permission –
It’s part of their personal space
• Match your pace to the other person’s
• Sit down or kneel to be at eye level when communicating for a
long period of time with someone using a wheelchair
• Offering help- ask if/how they would like assistance

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About Speech Disabilities…

• 2.6 million people have difficulty having their

speech understood
• Can arise from a number of different causes
• Don’t confuse a speech disability with an intellectual
disability
• Speech disabilities can sometimes be accompanied by
facial muscle and/or vocal inflections

Steinmetz, 2006

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Speech Disabilities
Some key points…
• Don’t jump in to finish the sentence—let the person
speak!
• Don’t pretend you understand what’s being said when you don’t
• Give the conversation your full attention
• Avoid speaking louder or slower
• Take your time, relax and listen- don’t try to rush the conversation
or second guess what the person has to say
• Don’t ignore someone with a speech disability because you’re
afraid you won’t understand what they have to say
• It’s OK to ask the person to repeat themselves or to write down
what they’re saying

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About Learning Disabilities…

LD is a childhood disorder characterized by difficulty with certain

skills such as reading or writing, and math computations.

LD may affect the ability to interpret what one sees or hears or

the ability to link information from different parts of the brain.

Often LD is accompanied by other disorders, especially ADHD,

which can compound the learning disability by making it difficult
to listen, focus attention, or absorb new material.

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Learning Disabilities
Some key points

• Do not associate LD with lower intelligence

• Do not assume people with LD cannot read
• Recognize that people with LD may need to be
given information in a different way

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About Psychiatric Disabilities…
Examples: depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder,
Schizophrenia
Approximately 5 – 10% of the U.S. population has a
mental illness
Many myths about this disability but the reality is…
 Most mental illnesses are treatable.
 Psychiatric disabilities are the result of a brain disorder- not of a
poor character or a “weak” personality.
 Don’t assume people with psychiatric disabilities are violent

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 2008

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 PTSD, Depression and TBI
“Signature Disabilities” off veterans of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

PTSD:
• About 20 % of recently returned veterans screened positive for
depression or PTSD (RAND, 2008)
• Rate of PTSD among returning service members was 6 % diagnosed,
with an additional 27% estimated to be undiagnosed (Erbes, Westermeyer, Engdahl
& Johnson, 2007)

TBI:
• 19% of soldiers received a probable TBI, with more subtle (and more
difficult to diagnose) blast-related injuries being the most common (RAND,
2008)

Many veterans have more than one disability - 30% of returning veterans
screened positive for PTSD, TBI and/or major depression
(RAND, 2008)

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Psychiatric Disabilities
Some key points…

• Don’t confuse mental illness with intellectual disabilities

• People with psychiatric disabilities are generally no more

violent than the rest of the population

• Don’t assume that people with psychiatric disabilities

can’t make decisions or handle any stress

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About Visual Disabilities…
• 1.8 million people have a severe visual impairment or
blindness

• Varying levels of visual disability

• Not all people with visual disabilities read Braille

• Many new developments in IT aid people with visual

disabilities Steinmetz, 2006

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Visual Disabilities
Some key points…
Give the person conversation cues:
– Identify yourself when you start to speak
– Say goodbye when you leave the conversation
Give the person a brief description of their surroundings
– “There’s a table about two feet in front of you. The door is
about 5 feet away on our left.”
Ask them if they would like assistance and what kind

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About Hearing Disabilities…
• 1 million Americans have trouble hearing normal conversation;
the number increases sharply with age

• About 30% of people over age 65 have difficulty hearing

• Human speech is often the most challenging sound

• Most difficult to hear when there are a lot of “ambient” sounds

• Hearing aids may not totally “fix” the problem

Steinmetz, 2006

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 Hearing Disabilities
Many communication methods. Ask which
they prefer.

-- Lip reading -- (Video) Relay Service

-- Texting -- Signing
-- Writing -- TTY Phones
-- Skype/Instant Messaging

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Hearing Disabilities
Some key points…
• To get a person’s attention, wave or gently tap the
person on the shoulder
• Look directly at the person when you are speaking
• Make a true effort to communicate, don’t try to be “polite” by saying
you understand when you don’t
• Look directly at the person, not at their signer/interpreter
• Offer to write back and forth if necessary
• Communicate your willingness to serve the person by your facial
expression, not your tone of voice

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About Intellectual Disabilities…
• Characterized by lower test of functional and mental ability
• 3 out of every 100 Americans (The Arc, 2001)
• About 87% of people with this disability will be only slightly
below average in learning new things
• Can arise from a number of different causes
• Varying levels of intellectual disability also means varying
levels of intellectual capability
• Not the same as mental illness
• Not always present with other developmental disabilities!

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

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Intellectual Disabilities
Some key points…
In general when interacting with people
with intellectual disabilities, it is helpful to…

• Use familiar wording and rephrase if necessary

• Use “concrete” reasoning, avoid abstractions
• Avoid assumptions — there is a wide range in capabilities
among people with intellectual disabilities

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 Remember…

• The same disability can affect different people

in very different ways

• Treat every person as an individual

• Everyone is different

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 Additional Resources
• www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/6-living/accessibility/etiquett
e/etiquett-menu.html
--This website gives a comprehensive overview of various
etiquette and language issues specific to different types of
disabilities.
• www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/DisabilityEtiquette.pdf -- This
website, created by the United Spinal Organization, provides
tips for interacting with people with a variety of disabilities.
• www.sanantonio.gov/planning/disability_handbook/disability
_handbook.asp
-- Created for the City of San Antonio, Texas, this website
gives an excellent handbook covering a broad array of
disability-related issues, focusing on language and etiquette.

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 Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
TransCen, Inc.
401 North Washington Street, Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20850

Toll-Free: 800.949.4232 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA,

WV)
Telephone 301-217-0124
Fax 301-251-3762
TTY 301-217-0124
Email [email protected]
Web www.ADAinfo.org

The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the Department of Education, NIDRR grant number H133 A110020. However, those contents do
not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.