Disability Models and Communication Strategies

Vocabulary flashcards covering the legal definition of disability, disability models, communication guidelines for various impairments, and mental illness concepts.

Disability (Legal Definition)

A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Medical Model

A way of thinking that assumes an individual's disability is a problem in need of fixing, curing, or eradicating, rather than recognizing it as a facet of identity.

Social Model

A perspective that considers the problem not to be the disability, but society and the barriers—whether attitudinal or physical—it places in front of people with disabilities.

Personal Space (Physical Disability)

The personal boundary of an individual that extends to assistive equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, and walking sticks, which should never be touched, pushed, or moved without permission.

Eye-Level Communication

The practice of finding something to sit on when speaking with a person who uses a wheelchair in order to converse at eye level.

Vision Impairment Communication Protocol

Always addressing the person by name, introducing yourself, speaking clearly in a normal tone without raising your voice, and not patting, feeding, or distracting a guide dog while it is in harness.

Hearing Impairment Communication Protocol

Gaining attention before speaking using a gentle shoulder tap, wave, or visual signal; facing the person directly; maintaining eye contact; and ensuring your mouth is visible and uncovered.

Intellectual Disability Communication Protocol

Securing the individual's attention by using their name or making eye contact before speaking, while keeping questions simple and answers easy to understand.

'I' Statements

Phrasing used in conversation with individuals experiencing mental illness instead of 'you' statements, helping to prevent the conversation from feeling directed accusingly at them.

Mental Illness

A health issue that can significantly affect how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people.

Mood Disorders

A classification of mental illness that includes conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder.

Psychotic Disorders

A classification of mental illness that includes conditions such as schizophrenia and certain forms of bipolar disorder.

Communication Behaviors to Avoid (Mental Illness)

Actions to avoid when speaking with someone with a mental illness, including criticizing, blaming, raising your voice, talking too rapidly or loudly, showing hostility, or engaging in excessive whispering, joking, and laughing (which could be viewed as dangerous to someone with paranoia).