This is something about disability etiquette.
Many a times, when we see a person with a disability, we do not know how to approach or engage them. If that person is being accompanied by a normally-abled friend, family member or interpreter, you tend to speak to them.
Persons with disabilities have their own voice. It may not be verbal but in other forms like signing, gesturing or texting.
When you see them, do not be shy. Just approach them and ask them what is the best way to communicate with them. I am sure they will be more than happy to share with you.
During this festive season, if you see a person with a disability at a social function, just come by and say Hi to that person. Better still, have a conversation with that person. These individuals have many stories to share!
If you see me there, please pick up my bluetooth keyboard and type me a message!
Tan Siew Ling is fully Deafblind, having lost both her sight and hearing to a neurological condition, Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). She carries a screen reader with a Braille display, which she fondly names it as “Bear Bear”, everywhere she goes. Her humour, wordplay, and love of puns keep friends on their toes. She enjoys reading books in her free time and loves to pen down her thoughts, often on a whim, which can be entertaining at times, on her social media. When she is not writing or reading, she can be seen doing insanely 72kg leg presses or swinging a 20kg kettlebell to and fro. You can find out more about Siew Ling and her journey here.