Behaviors to avoid when dealing with college students with disabilities
Mercifully, the days when disabled people were hidden away by families or put in institutions simply because of their disability have long since passed. Nowadays, disabled people are actively encouraged to take their place in society and live as normal a life as possible so most college students are going to come across disabled students during their time at college. But many people feel somewhat uncomfortable when dealing with people with obvious disabilities and are unsure of how to behave. And a lot of people automatically assume that people with physical disabilities, especially disabilities that affect muscle control, are also mentally challenged.
The word ‘disabled’ is generally accepted as the best word to use to describe a wide range of conditions. A person can be said to suffer from a learning disability which could mean a number of things, for example that the person is dyslexic. This type of disability is often not obvious in normal, everyday conversation or activity so such a person may not have too many problems with discriminatory behavior.
On the other hand, a student with a physical disability can often be very obvious – the student may be in a wheelchair, using crutches, or have difficulty maintaining posture and such students are the ones who will most likely encounter discriminatory behavior.
It is difficult to understand why students should react differently to their disabled fellow-students than they do to able-bodied people. It may be rooted in our evolutionary past when early human society is likely to have abandoned those who were not fully able. Whatever the reason, it is something students should try and avoid, and it is not too difficult to do this.
Try and maintain as natural a behavior as you can when meeting with disabled students. Look at and listen to the person, not the disability. Think of Tanya who wrote that great essay rather than Tanya, the girl in the wheelchair. When you meet a disabled student, do not ask his or her companion questions like “Is he tired?” Speak directly to the disabled student.
Just because a student is physically disabled does not mean they are deaf or mentally slow. Do not shout at them. Speak in a normal tone of voice. Do not patronize the disabled student. The student is at college and so has reached the same level of academic achievement as able students. The disabled student may well have faced additional challenges in getting to that level, but now is the academic equal of any other student and should be treated accordingly.
Do not try and pretend the student’s disability does not exist. Do not be afraid to discuss the disability with the disabled student, but try and do it in a non-intrusive and sensitive way. The more acquainted with the person you become the more familiar you can become. Its perfectly alright to ask a disabled student you hardly know a question like “How long have you been in a wheelchair” but you should wait until you have become firm friends before you start prying into the disability on a more personal level.
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