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Chapter 16: Basic Dos and Don’ts in Counseling Persons With Disabilities

Additional resources for this chapter

instructor material

DOI:

10.1891/9780826180636.0016

Authors

  • Millington, Michael J.

Abstract

The authors of this chapter are tasked with reviewing the dos and don’ts of interacting with people with disabilities as human beings. A collection of suggested behaviors, a disability etiquette, has emerged from the collective experience of people with disabilities and is widely available in brochures and on the Internet. Although disability etiquette is an important read for anyone in the field, it is not a sufficient guide for the rehabilitation counselor. The authors are a value-driven profession. They share allegiance to the fundamental mission of full community inclusion for people with disabilities. They act with their clients and on their behalf to help individuals achieve standing in their communities and to advance a more inclusive world for all people with disabilities. Disability etiquette is only the superficial expression of professional values that have much deeper roots and higher aspirations.