Many advances have been made in accessibility to and inclusions in the classroom. It is now common for a student with a disability to enter college, take a class, go for an interview, get a job, etc., but often, once there, another form of exclusion is evident. Even when physical, biological, or intellectual obstacles are removed, other obstacles such as discrimination, attitudes, ignorance, stereotyping, or alienation remain. This usually occurs because the newly "included" person whose problem with access is removed, still stands out in the crowd, they are different (the wheelchair in the "deaf" commons).

It is this latter reality, viz., which the functional limitations of the person with a disability are taken care of and then the various "other" cultural forms of discrimination come to the forefront of the barriers to deal with. Access and mitigation of life limitations alone usually do not result in equality. Below are the strategies that have been found to work for those various "other" forms of discrimination that the "dominant" culture (and other cultures) imposes on those belonging to the Disability culture, although these disabled persons with disabilities are members of some racial group as well.

Culture is a way of living and viewing the world that develops among a set of people who share similar experiences and values, Webster defines it as a complex of typical behavior or standardized social characteristics peculiar to a specific group, occupation, profession, sex, age, grade, or social class. Hence, there is most definitely a culture comprised of persons with disabilities that is different from that of the "mainstream" and other cultures.

All persons share the basic needs and most of the desires that make us human, but the day-to-day reality of living with a disability is difficult to grasp by a person without a disability. Simulation exercises that involve wearing a blind fold for a few hours, trying out crutches, ear plugs, or wheelchairs, barely scrape the surface of the daily experiences of many persons with disabilities. Each disability, whether sensory, orthopedic, behavioral, intellectual, motor, etc., has its own unique set of obstacles, limitations, experiences, and modifications that contribute to shaping a person’s perceptions and ways of living. The commonality that "bind" persons with disabilities together is that each has some type of limit in their life functions.

Even under the umbrella of the term "Disability Culture" there are multiple sub-classifications. Persons who were born with a disability have a different view and set of experiences than someone who acquired the same disability later in life (e.g., pre-lingual vs. post lingual onset of deafness is one example). Likewise, persons who live in institutions will most probably have very different attitudes, perceptions, experiences, etc., than those raised by family members at home. Either way, persons with disabilities have a perspective that is a challenging alternative to the non-disabled "mainstream."

Members of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities generally share their minority status with their families. More than 14 percent of black students are in special education, compared with 13 percent of American Indians, 12 percent of whites, 11 percent of Hispanics, and 5 percent of Asian-Americans This is in contrast to individuals with disabilities, where they generally share their minority status within a majority community. However, there is evidence that most children with a disability function quite well in the non-disability, majority culture. During this time, the child’s parents usually search out and find adults with similar disabilities or disability support groups. All these individuals tend to be the ones in the effective disability culture (Carol Gill, 1999. The Disability Messenger. Publ. PCEPD).

As the Internet has expanded and technology has provided access to more people with disabilities, on-line publishing, cartoons, listservs, and web communication in general has flourished throughout the Disabled Community. Pages are filled with fresh, "edgy" art and poetry, radical literature, and literature that challenges traditional views of disability. Many of these insights are given by providing first-hand accounts of the author/artist’s who have disabilities. It has been an enlightening "door" to the differences between the outlooks, perception, productive outlets, etc. of members of the disability culture and the others, the "outsiders."

I am sometimes concerned by the use of the generic term "disability," the root is troubling (non or no ability). Does it really denote the inability to do anything? The term sets the stage for any interaction thereafter. Stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions leap into one’s mind. The stage is set and the cards are stacked against "that" individual. Is every difference in sensory, motor ability, etc. a "disability"? For example: I was in my wheelchair at lunch in the Commons of a school for the deaf where most of the individuals in the room were deaf. I was probably the only person who did not know sign language. The rest were all communicating easily. I was the only one left out of the communication "loop." So who is the "outsider" in this picture? Disabled, yes, but not a member of the "in residence" culture. In a place where everyone signs, door bells and fire alarms blink, and spoken language is unwanted and unnecessary, noises are unusual, but it doesn’t matter to the person who is deaf. Sometimes the lack of noise in these crowded areas is "deafening." Is deafness a disability or just a difference? Probably both. There were two clearly defined sub-sets of "The Disability Culture" in the Commons that day; it depends on the context.

In viewing disability as a difference, it is easier to see how a culture can develop among people sharing a common factor that differs from those without disabilities. Examples of this are found among the deaf community, where the ability to hear is often not desired. Sometimes individuals who are deaf will reject the "cure" of medical intervention (the cochlear implants). Pride in Deaf Culture is enormous, American Sign Language (ASL) is considered the native language, and the teaching of ASL and ASL literature is linking one generation of individuals of this unique culture to the next. A similar dichotomy, but in an opposite sensory system, exists in the blind sub-culture in which audio is essential and the visual senses are not, nor are they welcomed.

Below are some suggestions for avoiding the misconceptions about persons with disabilities:

• Don't assume that people with disabilities need your help. Ask before assisting.
• Avoid actions and words that suggest the person should be treated differently. It's okay to invite a person in a wheelchair to "go for a walk," or to ask a blind person if s/he "sees what you mean."
• Make basic information available in large print, in Braille, or on the Internet.
• In a new facility, offer a guided tour of all facilities so that people with disabilities can familiarize themselves with a campus layout. The orientation also should identify any potential obstacles and all emergency exits.

Below are suggestions about the interaction with people having disabilities as categorized in the following three sections:

Those with Visual Impairments:

• Be highly descriptive. You may have to help orient persons with visual impairments and let them know what's coming up. If they are walking, tell them if they have to step up or down, walk to the left, or right, let them know if a door is to their right or to their left, and warn them of possible hazards.
• You don't have to speak loudly to persons with visual impairments as they can usually hear just fine.
• When appropriate, offer to read written information for a person with visual impairment.

• Listen patiently. Don't complete sentences for the person unless s/he looks to you for help.
• Don't pretend you understand what a person with a speech impairment says just to be polite.
• Ask the person to write down a word if you're not sure what s/he is saying.

• Face people with hearing impairments when you talk to them so they can see your lips.
• Slow your speaking rate
• Speak loudly
• Communicate in writing, if necessary.

• Try sitting, or crouching down, to the approximate height of the person in wheelchairs or scooters when you talk to them.
• Don't lean on a person's wheelchair unless you have his/her permission - it's his personal space.
• Be aware of what is accessible and not accessible to people in wheelchairs.
• Give a push when asked

• Don't assume that the person is not listening just because you are getting no verbal or visual feedback. Ask if s/he understands or agrees.
• Don't assume you have to explain everything to people with learning disabilities.
• Offer to read written material aloud, when necessary.

Members of a disability group provoke the same type of response that racial, religious, gender, etc. groups receive. The U.S. Congress has recognized this and have now included persons with disabilities in "hate crimes" legislation.

Last updated: January 28, 2006

Web Master Ed Keller