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Responding to Disability: A Question of Attitude

This questionnaire is designed to stimulate thinking and dialogue. It is not intended to test knowledge of disability or

attitudes toward people with disabilities. As people increasingly find themselves in situations involving people who are

disabled they need to make quick decisions on how to respond. This questionnaire provides an opportunity to think

about situations involving people with disabilities, to respond, and then to consider the various responses more

carefully.

Responding to Disability: A Question of Attitude

Written by Patricia Hague

produced by

Minnesota State Council on Disabilities

208 Metro Square Building

St. Paul, MN 55101

612/296-6785 or

1-800/652-9747

Toll Free Voice and TDD

edited by

Indiana Governors Planning Council for People With Disabilities

Note: I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Center for Education for Non-Traditional

Students for their support during much of the time I was writing this questionnaire. Their encouragement and

thoughtful feedback were valuable in the development of these questions and answers. In particular, I would like to

thank Sandra Gish for her assistance with the development of question number ten. I would especially like to thank

Jerry Bergdahl, Gary TeGrootenhuis, Jeanne-Marie Moore, Kay Stoll and Alice Nelson for teaching me most of what I

know about disabilities and for giving me plenty of opportunities to improve my awareness of and attitudes toward

disabilities. – Patricia Hague

Copyright 1982

Minnesota Council on Disabilities

If interested in reproducing all or part of this booklet, contact the Minnesota State Council on Disabilities, 208

Metro Square, St. Paul, MN 55101, for permission.

(Editors note: With permission, this document has been edited to ensure that it reflects people first language.

Permission has been granted to reproduce this document or any portion thereof so long as proper credit is

given to the author.)

INTRODUCTION

With the recent changes in laws, opportunities, and attitudes, more people with disabilities are moving into the

mainstream, pursuing education, employment, and leisure activities. Yet few of us have had extensive

exposure to people with disabilities. Despite our desires to respond appropriately when we interact with a

person who has a disability, sometimes there is confusion, hesitancy or miscommunication.

This questionnaire is designed to stimulate thinking and dialogue. It is not intended to test your knowledge of

disability or your attitudes toward people with disabilities. Increasingly we find ourselves in situations

involving people who are disabled and we need to make quick decisions on how to respond. We're not always

sure what response is best. This questionnaire will give you an opportunity to think about situations involving

disabilities, to respond, and then to consider the various responses more carefully.

For each question, pick the answer that you feel is best. When you have answered all 14 questions, turn to the

answer section that follows. In the answer section you will find discussion regarding each of the various

responses. When you are done, discuss this questionnaire with others. Ultimately in any human interaction

there are not "right" or "wrong" answers.

This document was taken from the link http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2349.htm for better viewing purposes.

RESPONDING TO DISABILITY:

A QUESTION OF ATTITUDE

Question Section

1. You are in a grocery store with your children when a man in an electric wheelchair enters. Your

children ask in loud voices: "Why is that man sitting down?" Then they go over to him and ask:

"What's wrong with you?" Your response should be:

a) try as discreetly as possible to get your children away from the man and to tell them

it's not polite to talk like that.

b) explain to your children that the man has a disability and, if they want to know

more, ask if he would mind briefly telling your children what that means.

c) go to the man and apologize for your children's behavior while encouraging the

children to come with you and to leave the man alone.

2. You see a woman with a disability struggling to get a package off of the floor and into her lap. You

approach her and ask if she would like some assistance. She snaps angrily at you, saying that she can

get it herself without your help. You conclude that:

a) you should not have offered to help her.

b) people who are disabled do not want assistance unless they ask for it.

c) you have just met a person in a bad mood.

d) all of the above.

3. Which of the following positions has not been filled by a person who is legally blind?

a) photographer

b) airplane pilot

c) chemistry professor

d) all of the above

4. You are talking to a woman with a severe speech impairment. You have asked the woman to repeat

herself in order to understand what she is saying. The person has repeated one phrase five times and

you still don't understand it. You should:

a) give up and go on, assuming you will get the meaning from the context of the rest

of the conversation.

b) ask again and again to have the sentence repeated, until you do understand it.

c) ask the woman to spell the word, or use an alternate word or phrase.

d) get someone else who understands the woman better to serve as an interpreter.

e) make a joke about the situation and laugh at your inability to understand the

woman.

5. Because of your background with organizing church events, you are asked to serve on a committee

that will be organizing a local telethon fund raiser similar to the Jerry Lewis telethon for the Muscular

Dystrophy Association. The proceeds of your local telethon will be donated to the local Association

for Retarded Citizens. After agreeing to serve on the committee, you remember that you have a

neighbor who has been treated for mental illness and who occasionally gives talks about mental

illness. You should:

This document was taken from the link http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2349.htm for better viewing purposes.

a) ask your neighbor if he would be interested in helping with the telethon so that you

have consumers involved in raising the money for an organization that benefits them.

b) ask your neighbor if he would share some of his experiences with mental illness

with you so that you will be more knowledgeable and sensitive when dealing with the

people affiliated with the Association for Retarded Citizens.

c) neither of the above.

d) both a and b above.

6. You are talking to a person who is deaf through a sign language interpreter. At the end of the

conversation, you decide to talk to the interpreter. As you begin talking, the interpreter continues to

sign. You stop him, saying, "You don't have to sign this." However, the interpreter continues to sign

everything you say. At this point you should:

a) tell the person who is deaf you are having a private conversation with the interpreter

and that you have asked him not to sign.

b) ask the person who is deaf for permission to ask a question of the interpreter; then

ask the interpreter if he will have free time to talk to you later.

c) continue talking, but position yourself so that you block the person who is deaf's

view of the interpreter.

d) politely draw the interpreter away from the person and explain that you meant your

conversation to be private.

e) lightly touch or hold the interpreter's hand so that he will realize that you don't want

the conversation interpreted.

7. A person with a hearing impairment who is a good lip reader will be able to see the following

percentage of spoken sounds by watching the lips of a speaker.

a) 80% – 90%

b) 40% – 50%

c) 35% or less

8. You are teaching a freshman college class in which there is one student with a disability. This

student is working very hard and doing the best she can. However, even her best work is only "D"

quality. She is very eager to do well. You are afraid that if you give her a "D" she will get

discouraged and give up. It is time for mid-term grades; you should:

a) give her a "D" and ask her if she would like to make an appointment to discuss

ways of improving.

b) give her a "C" because she is doing well if you take into account the educational

barriers she is facing.

c) talk to her and encourage her to drop the class and enroll in an easier program of

study.

9. Which of the following has not been heard of?

a) a clinical psychologist who is totally deaf.

b) a medical doctor who is quadriplegic.

c) a person with no arms who is a barber.

d) a biomedical engineer who can barely read or write due to severe dyslexia.

e) all of the above.

f) none of the above.

This document was taken from the link http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2349.htm for better viewing purposes.

10. You are in a restaurant and you notice two people who are deaf communicating silently in sign

language. When a waitress goes to their table, one person gives his order out loud, but his voice is

strange, hard to understand, and too loud for the quiet restaurant. The second person does not speak,

but points to items on the menu. You conclude that:

a) the first person is only deaf while the second person is deaf-mute.

b) the first person is mentally retarded as well as deaf.

c) the first person has better speech than the second and speaks for both of them.

d) some people who are deaf like to use their voices, others can speak, but prefer to

communicate silently.

11. Your child watches an old movie on TV. At the end of the movie a couple who are in love and

have been engaged to be married tearfully break their engagement because the man has had an

accident and is now quadriplegic. Your child doesn't fully understand why the couple had to break

the engagement. You explain that:

a) because of the accident the man would not be able to be a father and would not be

able to be a husband to the woman.

b) because of the accident the man won't be able to lead a normal life and will need to

live in an institution where he can be taken care of.

c) you're not sure why the movie ended that way; you think they could have gotten

married and had a fine life.

d) some movies are old and reflect inaccurate information and assumptions, i.e., that a

man with a disability couldn't support a wife; that a wife needs to be supported; and

that people with disabilities don't have sexual needs.

e) both a and b above.

f) both c and d above.

12. The DuPont company has conducted studies of its employees with disabilities over a period of 25

years. Which of the following statements do you think most accurately reflects the results of these

studies?

a) employees with disabilities ranked higher than others in safety, job duties and

attendance.

b) employees with disabilities ranked the same as other employees in areas of safety,

job duties and attendance.

c) in comparison to other employees, employees with disabilities ranked slightly

higher on safety, the same on job duties, and slightly lower on attendance.

d) in comparison to other employees, employees with disabilities ranked slightly

lower on safety and job duties but higher on attendance.

e) employees with disabilities ranked almost as high as other employees in the areas of

safety, job duties and attendance.

13. Which of the following disabilities prevent a person from getting a driver's license?

a) deafness

b) learning disability

c) quadriplegia

d) blindness

This document was taken from the link http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2349.htm for better viewing purposes.

e) epilepsy.

f) a and d above

g) all of the above

14. After explaining a complex point, you turn to your coworkers and say, "Do you see what I

mean?" As soon as the words are out of your mouth, you wonder if it was inappropriate to use that

phrase since one of the people you are talking to is blind. At this point you should:

a) apologize for choosing an inappropriate phrase and continue with the conversation,

avoiding all future use of such phrases.

b) continue with the conversation without commenting on having used the word "see"

so as not to embarrass your coworker, but make a note to yourself to avoid using the

word "see" around a person who is blind again.

c) continue talking as you always do, not worrying about whether or not you use

words like "see", "walk" or "hear" around people with disabilities.

d) ask your coworker who is blind if you should avoid using the word "see" when you

are in conversations with him in the future.

Scroll Down for Answers and Discussion

This document was taken from the link http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2349.htm for better viewing purposes.

RESPONDING TO DISABILITY:

A QUESTION OF ATTITUDE

Answer Section

1. b) explain to your children that the man has a disability and, if they want to know more, ask him if

he would mind briefly telling your children what that means.

The curiosity of children about disability is natural and should not be discouraged or

apologized for. Much of our discomfort with disabilities as adults is a result of having been

trained as children to avoid people with disabilities, not to look at them and not to talk to

them. The only way for children to learn to interact naturally and comfortably with people

who are disabled is for them to ask honest questions and receive honest answers.

However, you should also be sensitive to the desires of the person who is disabled. Many

people would be quite willing to talk with your children briefly. In fact, many would be

especially pleased to see a parent who encourages children to interact with them naturally.

However, not all people with disabilities would be willing to talk with your children and even

those who are willing will not always have the time or inclination. Therefore, you should not

be surprised if you are rebuffed upon occasion when choosing this response.

You may consider contacting local organizations of people with disabilities to ask if there are

awareness programs that you and/or your children could attend in order to increase your

exposure to and knowledge of disabilities. This would decrease the likelihood that your

children would be so surprised and curious when they encounter a person with a disability.

2. c) you have just met a person in a bad mood. People with disabilities are as varied in personality, mood and temperament as other people.

You cannot learn a set of rules "for dealing with people with disabilities," follow them

faithfully, and expect never to offend a person with a disability. In this case, you just met

someone who either does not like to be offered assistance or someone who happened to be in

a bad mood for receiving assistance at that particular moment. However, that does not mean

that you were in error by offering assistance. Do not assume from one experience that all

people with disabilities would prefer that you not offer assistance. Many would be grateful for

the offer. Some would think that you are rude or insensitive if you don't offer to help. You

won't know until you ask.

Although there are no rules to follow to ensure that you won't offend, there are some

guidelines that will decrease the chances of offending. First, when you see a person who looks

like they could use assistance, ask them if they would like assistance. Don't assume from one

experience that all people with disabilities would refuse help. If they do indicate that they

would like assistance, ask them what you can do for them and how they would like it done.

Again, don't assume you know what they want done, or the best way of doing it. This is

particularly true of any personal assistance you may offer (e.g., help with putting on a coat).

When you think a person with a disability needs assistance, offer it as you would offer

assistance to anyone. Ther

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