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DISABILITY ETIQUETTE AND AWARENESS
Etiquette and awareness refer to educating people regarding disabilities and terminology or languages. The biggest barriers people with disabilities encounter are most often - other people - Disability Etiquette and Awareness
Additional resources:
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• 10 Ways to Be Inclusivehttps://www.easterseals.com/support-andeducation/facts-about-disability/helpfulhints.html
Wheelchair Etiquette
The first rule of etiquette when interacting with people in wheelchairs, or power chairs, is to remember that one should not focus on their disability. Instead, focus on the person. Another rule of etiquette is the act of shaking hands, even if their limbs are limited in use. Focus on the person, not on his or her disability - Wheelchair Etiquette.
Additional resources:
• Wheelchair Users Poll o Poll asks people who use wheelchairs what annoys them most - Things That Annoy People Who Use Wheelchairs.
We See Colors Differently
About 1 in 20 people are colorblind in some way. This means that one or more of the types of cone cells in their eyes the cells we use to detect color does not work normally. Because of this, a person who is colorblind sees a reduced color space; two colors which appear distinct to a person with normal color vision may appear to be the same to a person who is colorblind. This phenomenon is not random. Mathematically, there are lines through color space called "confusion lines" such that every color on a confusion line appears the same to a person who is colorblind as every other color on that same confusion line. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Designing for Color Blindness - http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/colorblind/palettes.mhtml
• Why Your Data Visualizations Should Be Colorblind-Friendlyhttps://towardsdatascience.com/is-your-color-palette-stopping-you-from-reaching-yourgoals-bf3b32d2ac49
When You Meet A Person Who Is Blind
Visually impaired people, whether they are totally blind or have some degree of useful vision may, at times, require the assistance of a sighted guide. For the sake of simplicity, the term "blind person" is used in this booklet to refer to the person who is being guided, whether totally blind or partially sighted. Tips on meeting a blind person including when to offer assistance and awareness hints for helping the blind - When You Meet a Blind Person.
Additional resources:
• Language of Disability Awareness o How do I address a person who is blind? Can I ask about it, what should I say? Examples of ways to address a person with a disability such as being blind or deaf
- Language of Disability Awareness.
Ways To Make Your Social Media More Accessible
Social media is a huge part of everyday life. From allowing us to connect with friends and family to viral memes that dominate pop culture, to provide quick access to the news; social media is an easy way to keep us connected and informed. For most, it’s easy to navigate, we can log in at anytime from anywhere to enjoy content throughout the day. However, if you have a disability, your experience with social media might be different. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• American Foundation for the Blind Social Media Accessibility Guidelines - https://www.afb.org/consulting/afb-accessibility-resources/afbs-social-mediaaccessibility-standards
• Creating Accessible Social Media Content - https://disabilityin.org/resource/creatingaccessible-social-media-content/
• Federal Social Media Accessibility Toolkit Hackpad - https://digital.gov/resources/federal-social-media-accessibility-toolkit-hackpad/
• A Guide to Basic Accessibility on social media - https://www.accessliving.org/newsroom/guide-basic-accessibility-on-social-media/
• What are tips for creating accessible social media post? - https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-are-tips-creating-accessible-social-media-posts
WHAT IS AN EMOTIONAL DISABILITY?
Every single one of us has a unique genetic makeup that comprises who we are as people, and no one else on the planet with have the same combination of atoms as you do. Our uniqueness means that we all have different physical, mental, and emotional health and that we express our feelings in different manners. For some, emotional disabilities might be holding them back from performing at their very best. To learn more, click here.
Resources
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State Directory
• List of State DD Councils
• List of State P&A Agency
• List of State UCEDDS
6 Ways to Be a Disability Rights Ally
1. Take action to support the Disability Access to Transportation Act.
2. Hir people with disabilities.
3. Routinely include people with different access methods in our product development and usability testing.
4. Teach disability history.
5. Make your social media content accessible.
6. View and share accessible, archived webinars on disability inclusion.
10 Books on Disability Justice:
• https://bookriot.com/disability-justice/
TED TALK - https://www.ted.com/topics/disability
Indigenous Disabled Creatorshttps://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2020/12/26/ ep-93-indigenous-disabled-creators/
30 Black Autistic People You May Want to Know about - https://the-art-of-autism.com/24black-autistic-people-you-may-want-to-knowabout/
5 Latinas with Disabilities who are Thrivinghttps://boldlatina.com/5-latinas-with-disabilitieswho-are-thriving/
Disabled, Asian American, and Proudhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disabi lity-is-diversity/202207/disabled-asian-americanand-proud
11 Outstanding People Living with Disabilityhttps://www.aaaplay.org.au/news/2019/11outstanding-people-living-disability
10 Influential disabled LGBTQ+ activists to followhttps://disabilityhorizons.com/2021/06/10influential-disabled-lgbtq-activists-to-follow-thispride-month/
Disability Awareness Films
Riding the Bus with My Sister
2005
A woman takes time off from her career to spend time with her sister, who has an intellectual disability, only to learn that her sister's life is much richer than she ever imagined. (PG)
Disability Documentaries
“Documentaries can open windows to our past. They allow us to re-live iconic moments in history. Below is a list of powerful documentaries exploring Asian history and culture in America.” PBS.org
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Vision Portraits
2019 1h 13m
An in-depth exploration of the creative paths of blind and visually impaired artists including a photographer, dancer, writer, and filmmaker.
Unrest
2017 1h 38m
When Harvard Ph.D. student Jennifer Brea is struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story as she fights a disease that medicine forgot.
Who Am I To Stop It
2016 1h 26m
The film reveals artmaking not as rehabilitation but a way to reconnect to a sense of purpose and pride, to protest disability stigma and social isolation, and to contribute to society. Brain injury survivors are not individuals on a private journey of healing; they are rooted in society, one that is often inaccessible and not understanding or accommodating.
When I Walk
2013 1h 24m
When I Walk is one man's emotional and inspiring journey during six years of life following his multiple sclerosis diagnosis. For Jason DaSilva, life's most challenging and joyous moments are yet to come.
Ableism And White Supremacy Are Intertwined We Must Confront Them Together
Ableism is a systemic oppression and an expression of privilege that finds common ancestry with white supremacy.
Disabled people are often asked to give an account of themselves to quell nondisabled people’s discomfort, while striving toward conformity. It is understood that our lives do not matter enough to fund robust public transportation infrastructure, rethink city planning, improve workflows for benefits administration, or to codify universal health care access. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• (Re)Producing White Privilege through Disability Accommodationshttps://medium.com/national-center-for-institutional-diversity/re-producing-whiteprivilege-through-disability-accommodations-4c16a746c0dc
• Ableism Is the Go-To Disguise for White Supremacy. Too Many People are Falling for it - https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2018/11/19/ableism-is-the-go-to-disguise-for-whitesupremacy-too-many-people-are-falling-for-it/
Intersections Between Racism And Ableism
“Racism and ableism are often thought of as parallel systems of oppression that work separately to perpetuate social hierarchy. Not only does this way of looking at the world ignore the experiences of people of color with disabilities, but it also fails to examine how race is pathologized to create racism. Meaning that society treats people of color in specific ways to create barriers, and these poor conditions create disability. The concept of disability has been used to justify discrimination against other groups by attributing disability to them.” To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• We can’t address disability without addressing race. Here’s why. - https://learnplaythrive.com/we-cant-address-disability-without-addressing-race/
• Ableism: A Tool of White Supremacy – watch recording here.
CONFRONTING SPECIAL EDUCATION’S RACE PROBLEM
Students of color are disproportionately misidentified with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders, often altering the course of their lives. The reasons why Black children (and other children of color) are being disproportionately misdiagnosed with learning or behavior disorders are numerous, complex, and often systemic. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• What is Special Education? - https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/specialeducation/family-engagement-and-guidance/what-special-education
• History of Special Education: Important Landmark Cases - https://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/
• Landmark Cases in Special Education Law - https://specialeducationlawyernj.com/special-education-law/landmark-cases-in-specialeducation-law/
Advancing Economic Security For People With Disabitilies
To advance economic security for people with disabilities, policymakers must level the playing field for disabled workers while also guaranteeing access to housing, nutrition, and health care for those who are unable to work. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Why Native American children have higher rates of disability - https://abcnews.go.com/Health/native-american-children-higher-ratesdisability/story?id=76841563
UNDERSTANDING DISABILITY IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Societal norms pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as norms around ability, often work to deny LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities opportunities that others enjoy in their daily lives. Some studies have even proposed that the traumatic effect of discrimination and rejection on LGBTQ+ people’s mental and physical health can itself be considered a disability. Disabled LGBTQ+ people who live at the intersection of these two identities can face compounded discrimination and stigmatization, and it is important for those who serve, interact with, and love and care for those individuals to understand this complex dynamic. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Have you seen the new disability pride flag? - https://disabilityrightswi.org/news/celebrate-disability-pride-month/
• Disability Flag Meaning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCm8iTKs0Tg
• LGBTQ+ People with Disabilities - https://www.respectability.org/resources/lgbtq/
• Disability and LGBTQA+ Resource Guide - https://lgbtq.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/DisabilityResourceGuide_June2018.pdf
• 8 Ways to be a better ally to LGBT Disabled people - https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/8-ways-be-better-ally-lgbt-disabled-people
• The Intersection of LGBTQ History and Disability - https://epgn.com/2020/10/20/theintersection-of-lgbtq-history-and-disability/
Advancing Women And Girls With Disabilities
Women and girls with disabilities are subjected to multiple layers of discrimination. Based on their gender and disability status they often face “double discrimination”. This inequality is exacerbated for women and girls with disabilities who are members of marginalized ethnic or racial groups or part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Empowering Women and Non-Binary People with Disabilities - https://www.respectability.org/womenwithdisabilities/
• Women with Disabilities Fact Sheet - https://www.un.org/womenwatch/enable/WWDFactSheet.pdf
• Spotlight on Women with Disabilities - https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ODEP/pdf/Spotlight-on-Women-withDisabilities-March-2021.pdf
• Reproductive Justice for Disabled Women: Ending Systemic Discrimination - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/reproductive-justice-for-disabled-womenending-systemic-discrimination/
Domestic Violence And People With Disabilties
March is recognized as National Disability Awareness Month, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is taking an opportunity to raise awareness about people with disabilities who also experience domestic violence. Click here for six facts about people with disabilities and domestic violence.
Additional resources:
• Abuse and Exploitation of People with Developmental Disabilities - https://disabilityjustice.org/justice-denied/abuse-and-exploitation/
• A report on violence against kids with disabilities is sobering – if not surprising - https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/04/12/1091679303/a-report-onviolence-against-kids-with-disabilities-is-sobering-if-not-surprisin
The Closing Of Willowbrook
A watershed case in the evolution of the legal rights of people with disabilities to live in dignity arose out of public awareness of the horrific conditions under which children and adults with disabilities were living at the Willowbrook State Developmental Center in New York. This case set important precedents for the humane and ethical treatment of people with developmental disabilities living in institutions. This, in turn, served as the impetus for accelerating the pace of community placements for people with developmental disabilities, expanding community services, increasing the quality and availability of day programs, and establishing the right of children with disabilities to a public education. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Former residents of Willowbrook recall its horrors as fight for disability rights continues - https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/a-disgrace-former-willowbrook-residents17860905.php
• Willowbrook State School: How a Lawsuit Closed the Gates to a Notorious Institution and Opened the Doors of Opportunity for Thousandshttps://history.nycourts.gov/events/willowbrook-state-school/
• The Racialized History of Disability Activism from the “Willowbrooks of this World”https://activisthistory.com/2019/11/04/the-racialized-history-of-disability-activism-fromthe-willowbrooks-of-this-world1/
Achieving Health For All
Disability inclusion is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global health priorities to achieve health for all.
Universal health coverage will not be achieved if persons with disabilities do not receive quality health services on an equal basis with others. Investing in universal health coverage for persons with disabilities will benefit not only individuals but also communities. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Prioritizing disability in universal health coveragehttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31638-1/fulltext
• Addressing health inequities faced by persons with disabilities to advance universal health coverage - https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/addressing-health-inequitiesfaced-by-persons-with-disabilities-to-advance-universal-health-coverage
Calendar
Discover the many occasions, holidays, and awareness dates to learn and talk about disabilities. Click here to access the shared resource folder.
Please note: Developmental Disability Awareness month calendar will be completed closer to March 2024
For more information about the Multicultural Resource Center or the Student Association Disability Services contact Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director for Multicultural, Interfaith, and Intersectional Affairs
Email: aalvarez-pena@albany.edu | Phone: 518-442-5565
