How to help

Physically handicapped people are just like you and me and want to be treated accordingly. It is important, therefore, to treat them in a normal manner. This also applies to the social behaviour and mutual respect that characterize our dealings with non-handicapped people. Hard staring is as inappropriate as looking away in embarrassment. Always talk directly to handicapped people and not to their attendants. Ask whether they would like some help and respect their wishes if their answer is “no”. Always keep in mind that structural barriers are not the only obstacles facing handicapped people, but also thoughtlessness and intolerance.

Asking for help

Non-handicapped people often have problems speaking to handicapped individuals. Therefore, it is a good idea to take the first step, because nobody takes offense at a friendly greeting or a question. Try to tell the helper exactly what you need and how he could help, since most people have little experience with handicapped life. If you do not need a person’s offered assistance, just decline politely.

• Always treat the visually-impaired as normally as possible
• Offer help only in places where they need help with visual tasks.
• If you wish to say something to a blind or visually-impaired person (this goes for doctors, too), speak directly to that person and not to his/her attendant.
• It is important to inform your visually-impaired conversation partner that you are about to speak to someone else or leave the room.
• It is disrespectful to eavesdrop on blind people or make secret gestures or signs to others while in their presence.
• When pedestrians encounter blind people on the sidewalk, they try to be respectful by stopping and being absolutely quiet so as not to disturb them. However, if you continue walking at a normal pace or even speak to the blind person, you will find he/she will easily be able to avoid walking into you or touching your leg with their stick.
• Blind or severely visually-impaired people are especially appreciative when somebody offers to help them cross the street. There are some, however, who wish to cross by themselves and will decline your help.
• When walking with an attendant, blind people usually prefer to hold the underside of one’s arm. They do not want to be pulled or pushed along. You should also inform them whether the path goes uphill or downhill.
• Never grab blind people and take them across the street or ferry them into public transportation without speaking to them first. You shouldn’t assume you know where they want to go.
• Keep doors closed if possible. This prevents blind people from bumping into them. And it is also makes it easier for them to find the door handle.
• If you wish to offer a blind person a seat, lead them to the chair and direct their hand to the arm or seat of the chair to show them how the chair is positioned.
• At meals, place the dish in front of the blind person and describe what and how the food is arranged on the plate. If the blind person agrees, you can also pre-cut the meat. The arrangement of the food can best be described by comparing its position to the face of a clock (meat is usually placed between 4 and 7). The attendant should pour the beverage into the glass or cup, place it closely to the plate and inform the blind person of its position.
• If blind people wish to smoke, offer them an ashtray of their own. When helping them shop, you should know what the blind person wishes to buy.
• Where is that? And how do I get there? When the blind and visually impaired ask for directions, it is necessary to be as precise as possible. For example, a bus stop “over there” is quite difficult to locate without sight. Therefore, give the person precise directions to the bus stop.

• When speaking, always look directly at hearing-impaired people to allow them to read your lips.
• Never speak to a hearing-impaired person from behind or with your hand in front of your mouth.
• Speak calmly, slowly and clearly in a normal tone of voice.
• Do not shout or scream as this distorts your tone of voice. More importantly, it can be painful for hearing-aid users.
• If you are unsure, politely ask if the hearing-impaired person understands you, or how well he/she can understand you.
• If the information you wish to communicate is urgent or extremely important (e.g., dates, numbers or addresses), you can write it down for them to read.
• Be patient if the hearing-impaired person does not understand something you’ve said.
• Make sure the room is well illuminated and allow the hearing-impaired to sit across from you with their backs to the light to help them read your lips better.
• When speaking in groups, make sure the hearing-impaired person understands the gist of the conversation, and if necessary repeat things from time to time.
• Do not laugh at a deaf or hearing-impaired person if s/he has misunderstood something or given an inappropriate answer. Simply repeat your question and explain, if necessary, why the answer was wrong.
• Reduce unnecessary background noise when speaking with a hearing-impaired person, e.g., turning off the music, radio or television.

The deaf and hearing-impaired do not always openly admit that they are handicapped. If you know you are dealing with a hearing-impaired person, please try to follow the tips above. If you do not know for sure, but have the feeling the person is deaf or hard of hearing, try to politely find out so that you can adapt to the situation accordingly. For example, in hotels it is especially important to know whether a guest is hearing-impaired so that s/he can be personally informed of an emergency (e.g., fire). Deaf and hearing-impaired people are exactly like you and me except for their ability to hear well. Each of us could easily suffer the same fate – due to an accident, sudden deafness or an infection. That is why our dealings with the hearing-impaired should be nothing out of the ordinary. All that you need is a certain amount of awareness about the handicap and occasionally a little patience.