Engagement & Communication with Persons with Mobility Disabilities
Engagement and Communication Practices with Persons who have a Mobility Limitation or Physical Disability
Disability engagement and communication requires some planning and thought, especially when you are working toward being a church where everyone feels welcome and a sense of belonging. Many people have not thought about ways to make interactions with those of us who are disabled easier and more relaxed. To start with, remember that each person is unique and all of us are made in the image of God. If you encounter a disabled person who may need assistance, ask if help is wanted and exactly how you can help.
What is a mobility limitation or physical disability?
Conditions that limit mobility include orthopedic conditions, arthritis, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, amputations. Some people need the full-time use of a mobility device while others use different devices (e.g. a wheelchair rather than a walker) for greater distances or when fatigued or experiencing a flare of symptoms. Some may not need a device.
When you are with a person who has a mobility disability:
Don’t assume the person has an intellectual disability.
Speak directly to the person, not to an attendant who may be with them.
Respect everyone’s personal space. Do not touch someone without permission and do not touch or lean on their mobility device such as a wheelchair.
Do not touch, distract or offer food to a working service animal.
Do not move crutches, walkers, canes or wheelchairs without permission. If moved with permission, do not leave until you arrange for or return them to the person.
Ask whether or not you can be of help, and if so, how. Do not assume anything.
Ask if and how you can help in a buffet line or with carrying objects.
Use the term “Little People” or “Little Person” rather than “dwarf.”
Allow children to ask questions and allow the person being questioned to answer.
Specific tips for engaging with wheelchair users:
Use the term “wheelchair user” rather than “confined” to a wheelchair or “wheelchair bound.” (Wheelchairs provide freedom and access.)
If possible, be at eye level with the person.
Wheelchairs and their users can be damaged if you don’t know how to use them. Be careful and always ask for directions before helping someone.
Do not push someone's wheelchair unless directed to do so.
When helping to guide a wheelchair user down an incline, grasp the push handles tightly so that the chair does not go too fast. On steep inclines it may be safer to turn the chair around and back down the ramp.
If assisting someone in a wheelchair to go up or down a curb, ask how you can best help. Some wheelchair users manage independently.
When assisting a wheelchair user to go up or down more than one step, tilt the wheelchair back at all times while descending or ascending the stairs.
Skip the jokes about the person speeding, needing a driver’s license, etc. that the wheelchair user has heard a thousand times.
For more information:
Disability Etiquette Guide: Tips on Interacting Respectfully with People with Disabilities
👉 https://www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/DisabilityEtiquette.pdf
Revised March 2024
Rev. Debbie Hills, Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, and Tim Vermande.
Based on a 2009 adaptation by Dr. Charlotte Shepard, Rev. Wineva Hankamer, and Rev. Dr. Devorah Greenstein of the 2004 National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA Equal Access Guide, pages 24-25.