Disability etiquette

6. Guideline(s) or rule(s)

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.....suggest guidelines or rules that we can follow as part of the Digiteen code

Knowing how to be polite and proper online isn't hard. While much of it is common sense, there are "ten commandments" of Digital Ethics.

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the you write.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.

These "rules" were created specifically to help people understand and learn how to work on the internet in a safe and respectable way
I think the children should learn Digital Etiquette from their parents. Just like the parents teach their children table manners or any other sort of manners. it is something that should be taught to the kids at a young age. Also the guidelines that are made by the parents, should be on paper, that can be posted in the computer room, so that the child can read it every day before he uses the computer.


The term “etiquette” refers to a set of rules — written and unwritten — governing what constitutes socially acceptable behavior under a variety of circumstances. Typically, these rules, based upon social norms, are not codified in criminal or civil law; but rather are enforced on an individual level by fear of community disapproval.
“Disability etiquette”, then, is a misnomer: in contrast to simple “etiquette”, guidelines dealing specifically with how to approach people with disabilities were initially created to challenge social conventions rather than to reinforce them.
There is no consensus on when this phrase first came into use, although it most likely grew out of the Disability Rights Movement that began in the early 1970s. The concept may have started as a cynical play on existing rule sheets, written for non-disabled audiences, that were seen as patronizing by civil rights activists.

Guidelines in theory and practice

Most disability etiquette guidelines seem to be predicated on a simple dictate: “Do not assume...” They are written to address real and perceived shortcomings in how society as a whole treats people with disabilities.
These guidelines can be broken down into the several broad categories.
“Do not assume...”:

• “...a person with a disability either wants or requires assistance.”
• “...rejection of aid is meant as a personal affront.”
• “...upon acceptance of your help, that you know, without being told, what service to perform.”
• “...a person who appears to have one kind of disability also has others.”
• “...a disabled person is dissatisfied with his/her quality of life, and is thus seeking pity.”
• “...a person with a disability is easily offended.”
• "...that a person who does not appear disabled, or who uses assistive devices intermittently instead of all of the time, is faking or imagining their disability." (see invisible disability)
• “...companions accompanying a person with a disability are there strictly to render service.”
• “...a person with a disability will be receptive to personal questions, particularly in a public setting.”
• “...that when a person with a disability is in a public place, that they are being escorted by a caretaker, instead of traveling alone.”

Each category encompasses specific ‘rules’. For example, the last two of these would include guidelines such as:
“Ask questions of the person with a disability, and not of his/her companions.” “Hand grocery or other receipts to the individual who is paying the bill.” “Only ask questions about the person's disability if you know that person.”
People writing on specific disabilities have given rise to their own unique guidelines. Wheelchair users may, for example, include the rule, “do not grab the push handles of a person’s wheelchair without permission.“ Visually impaired people often list a request to, “identify yourself when you enter a room.”

[edit] Language

Like many other minority groups, people with disabilities do not always agree on what constitutes politically correct language. However, see the List of disability-related terms with negative connotations and people-first language.

[edit] Conclusion

“Disability etiquette” exists to draw attention to common assumptions and misconceptions through the provision of guidelines that contradict them. More than that, however, these guidelines are evolving to approximate social etiquette among the non-disabled, in hope that people with disabilities will be treated with “common courtesy.” (McGrattan, 2001)

Wheelchair Etiquette...

based on Ric Garren in Challenge Magazine

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The following suggestions enable better communication with people who use wheelchairs:

1. The key concept? Focus on the person, not on his or her disability.
2. It is appropriate to shake hands with a person who has a disability, even if they have limited use of their hands or wear an artificial limb.
3. Always ask the person who uses a wheelchair if he or she would like assistance before you jump in to help. Your help may not be needed or wanted.
4. Don't hang or lean on a person's wheelchair. A wheelchair is part of his or her own personal or body space, so don't lean on it, rock it, etc.
5. Speak directly to the person who uses the wheelchair, not to someone who is nearby as if the wheelchair user did not exist.
6. If your conversation lasts more than a few minutes, consider sitting down, etc. to get yourself on the same eye-level as the person who uses the wheelchair. It will keep both of you from getting a stiff neck!
7. Don't demean or patronize the person who uses a wheelchair by patting him or her on the head.
8. When giving directions, think abut things like travel distance, location of curbcuts and ramps, weather conditions and physical obstacles that may hinder their travel.
9. Don't discourage children from asking questions of a person who uses a wheelchair about their wheelchair. Open communication helps overcome fearful or misleading attitudes.
10. When a person who uses a wheelchair "transfers" out of the wheelchair to a chair, pew, car, toilet or bed, do not move the wheelchair out of reach. If you think it would be best to move it for some reason ask the person who uses the wheelchair about the best option for them.
11. It is OK to use expressions like "running along" or "let's go for a walk" when speaking to person who uses a wheelchair. It is likely they express the idea of moving along in exactly the same way.
12. People who use wheelchairs have varying capabilities. Some person who use wheelchairs can walk with aid or for short distances. They use wheelchairs because they help them to conserve energy and to move about with greater efficiency.
13. Don't classify or think of people who use wheelchairs as "sick." Wheelchairs are used to help people adapt to or compensate for the mobility impairments that result from many non-contagious impairments. Some of these are, for example, spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, post polio, heart disease, etc.
14. Check your assumptions! Don't assume that using a wheelchair is a tragedy. Wheelchairs when they are sell fitted and well chosen are actually a means of freedom that allows the user to move about independently and fully engage in life.
15. Don't pet guide dogs or other service animals...they are working.

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