| |
| |
|
Leadership |
|
|
|
Articles and Information about LeadershipNetFinancial | Institutions | LoansColleges and Universities | Search Engines How To Get To Know A Disabled Person
When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, what is your initial reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? Awkwardness? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone. Chances are you don't regularly associate with someone who is disabled, so these feelings are quite common. Having been blind since birth, I have encountered a wide range of reactions, from curious stares when i walk down the street with a cane or holding someone's arm, to amazement at being able to feed and dress myself. Most people don't intend to be rude or insensitive, but just aren't sure what to expect. Here are four points to keep in mind if you should happen to meet a disabled person. 1. Disabled people can lead active lives. With few exceptions, a disability does not prevent someone from working, raising a family, or taking part in social activities. Many sports and recreation programs have been adapted to accommodate a person with a disability, including baseball, golf, water skiing, biking, and swimming. Instead of concentrating on the disability, look at the person the same way you would any other acquaintance. 2. It's all right to ask questions. Many people are afraid of offending someone by asking about their disability. When meeting anyone for the first time, it's natural to be curious about who they are, where they're from, and what they do for a living. The same is true for a disabled person. Asking questions is usually acceptable, as long as you use common sense. Don't, for example, ask a blind person how he feeds and bathes himself. Instead, find out what equipment or techniques he uses in his job and at home, how he gets around town, how does Braille work, etc. 3. Offer assistance when necessary. You see a woman in a wheelchair having trouble entering a building or negotiating steps. You'd like to help, but don't want to embarrass her. What should you do? It's usually appropriate to lend a hand if someone is having obvious difficulty, but keep in mind that not everyone will be willing to accept your help. It's not much different than pulling over and offering assistance to a motorist with a flat tire. Unless the woman in the wheelchair is in danger, it isn't necessary to press the issue if they refuse your help. You did your part. 4. Remember that we all have obstacles to overcome. No matter who we are, each of us has a weakness or challenge to face. How do you feel when you are treated differently for being bald, short, or heavyset? Like you, a disabled person would much rather be accepted for who they are, rather than be pitied or shunned because of a disability. Many friends and colleagues have said to me, "I often forget that you are blind." To me, that is the ultimate compliment. Meeting someone with a disability doesn't have to be an intimidating experience. Asking questions, offering assistance, and putting yourself in their shoes can go a long way toward recognizing them as people with normal thoughts and feelings who just happen to have a disability. Who knows? You might make some new friends in the process. About The Author Stephen Michael Kerr is a blind radio broadcaster and freelance writer. He has launched a free e-mail newsletter on sports and recreation for people with disabilities. For more information about disabilities or the newsletter, e-mail Stephen at:
MORE RESOURCES:
Leadership - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leaders ARE; Are you? Identity CrisisIt's not only the knowledge you carry around in your head. More important to your effectiveness as a leader is your character - who you ARE. Learn How to Lead People "Who rules or guides or inspires others"Having excellent guide skills is one of the most importantabilities to possess in today's fast-paced world. We need thesupport and cooperation of other people to help us in reachingour goals. People or Objects? - - You Decide "How you think determines how you act. How you act, in turn, determines how others react to you. A Good Leader Knows The Teams Colours Leadership can be a very challenging task. As leaders we don't always get to choose who is on our team. Mr. Shoaffs Simple Strategies to Success (Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Sampler single CD)My first mentor, Mr. Shoaff, over a six-year period from the time I was 25 to age 31, taught me some extraordinarily simple things, before his untimely passing at age 49. A Call to Men to Live a Strenuous Life! Any man would be justly proud to claim even a portion of what Teddy Roosevelt accomplished in just one of his fields, whether politics, hunting, writing, military, or family. He was an extraordinarily accomplished man with an enormous appetite for life. Steps to Becoming a Good Leader STEPS TO BECOMING A GOOD LEADER: 1. Develop a master plan. Why Not Lead With Emotions? Studies have shown that companies that have acquired competencies to lead with emotional excellence are far more productive and efficient because of the impact emotional excellence has on employee morale, loyalty, retention and overall performance of the organization to name a few.Since the early 1990's and especially after the internationally renowned author Daniel Goleman's book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" hit the bestseller's list, the business world began to pay close attention to this competency and began to incorporate it in their employee training programs. All You Really Want Is Feeling Good If I asked you what your goal in life is, what would you answer? Well, the answer would be as diversified as people are.Many will answer that making money is the primary goal. Fighting the Gravitational Pull of Positional Leadership A little on leadership?Many people enter the leadership world through a position and a title, but we must understand that just owning a title doesn't make you a leader. Being a leader is about influence. How To Get To Know A Disabled Person When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, what is your initial reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? Awkwardness? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone. Chances are you don't regularly associate with someone who is disabled, so these feelings are quite common. The Leadership Talk As A Living Hologram The hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made on a flat surface with laser beams.The three-dimensionality of such an image is not the only remarkable characteristic of a hologram. Follow My Leader - To Effect Change, Leaders Must Walk the Talk! A leader's roleIn any change project, a leader must wear many hats, however his/her role can be split into two key areas:1. Set the strategic direction of the change and;2. It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1) Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. Take the Road Less Traveled "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference."- Robert FrostI watched Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will, a very controversial film on Hitler's 1934 Nuremberg Rally put on by equally controversial Toronto film connoisseur, Reg Hartt, at the Cineforum (a make-shift theatre in his home). Top Skills Of Extraordinary Leaders 1. Good Communicator. The Leadership Vacuum In today's fast moving, ever changing, and highly competitive world there is a vacuum of leadership. More than ever our government, businesses, religious organizations, and our educational institutions need leaders. Leadership - Push vs. Pull? At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion.This lesson is focused on getting people to think in terms of effective leadership. Helping Others Develop Their Potential Most of us find ourselves in a position to help others achieve more of their potential than we realize. Sure, as leaders, supervisors, and parents we can see ourselves in that position; but the fact is that all of us are uniquely qualified to help at least one other person in our lives reach their potential. Leadership Is Power: Test Your Ethics "The payoff for the ethical person is a reputation for honesty. It's a payoff that makes every undertaking easier and attracts unsolicited opportunities.
|
|
Currency Trading | Investing | Leadership | Negoatiation | Real Estate | Stocks and Mutual Funds | Taxes home | NetFinancial | Institutions | Loans | Colleges and Universities | site map Search Engines | EZmatic | 0pops | GetSonic | TrafficFish | Health |
| © 2006 |
