People Who Use Wheelchairs or Other Mobility Devices
- People who use wheelchairs have varying disabilities and abilities. Some can use their arms and hands, and some can walk for short distances.
- Unless the person has asked you to assist or has consented to your offer to help, do not touch or push a person’s wheelchair; it is part of their personal space.
In the Workplace:
- Keep ramps and doors accessible, unblocked by barriers such as snow.
- When talking with a person who uses a wheelchair, get a chair that allows you to sit at their level. If that’s not possible, stand at a slight distance so that the other person does not need to strain their neck to make eye contact.
- Always ask before offering help.
- Even with good intentions, pushing open a door from behind or unexpectedly opening a door may cause a person with a mobility issue to fall.
- People who have limited mobility may lean on a door for support as they open it. Ask The Person (ATP) before helping. For example, people who use canes or crutches need their arms for balance!
- Never grab a mobility device.
