Site of the Day: Disability Etiquette

It'd be nice if there was no need for any such thing as a booklet on how to show basic respect to people with disabilities, but as we all know from being out in public with our kids, there surely is. This booklet from the United Spinal Association -- available online, as a .pdf download, or to order in printed form -- addresses that need in a cheerfully direct and positive way, with simple language and illustrative cartoons sprinkled through.

In addition to basics, like don't pat disabled people on the head or talk to their caretakers as though they weren't right there, the booklet offers specific advice regarding People Who Use Wheelchairs or Have Mobility Impairments; People Who Are Blind; People With Low Vision; People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing; People With Speech Disabilities; Persons of Short Stature; People With Cerebral Palsy; Tourette Syndrome; People Who Look Different; Hidden Disabilities; Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) & Respiratory Disabilities; HIV & AIDS; Psychiatric Disabilities; Developmental Disabilities; People With Learning Disabilities; and People With Traumatic or Acquired Brain Injury.

Also worth checking out on the United Spinal Association site are additional publications, including a page you can print out and plaster on the windshield of cars parked in a handicapped spot without a permit. Those drivers could probably use an etiquette booklet, too.