Over the last two years, the amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have been a prominent and well-discussed topic of employment law. The changes are substantial and significant, as you surely have recognized. But, the changes have also likely left many of you (and supervisors and managers you work with) concerned and confused about how to interact with disabled employees without offending or upsetting them.
To help you out, DiversityInc.com has posted a list of 7 Things NEVER to Say to People with Disabilities. Some of the tips listed are hopefully pretty obvious (e.g. do not say “Oh, if you just have faith, you can be healed,” or “How do you go to the bathroom?”). Some of the other tips, however, may come as a surprise (e.g. ““I don’t even think of you as a person with a disability.”) In either case, you may find the article useful, particularly when training others within your business about how to respectfully, effectively and legally deal with employees with disabilities.
And while you are visiting the DiversityInc.com , check out some of the other articles in their Things Not to Say archives. Some of the articles are quite provocative and designed to start some tough conversations about diversity and inclusion. While you may not want to follow the advice completely, you may find that some of the articles are helpful, or at least raise questions worth discussing with your peers (or your favorite employment attorney).