Do not shout. (This I have also heard from people who are legally blind.) For some reason, we automatically think that if a person cannot see or uses a wheelchair for mobility, she or he also must be deaf. I’ve also noticed this shouting fit coming on people who are speaking to someone who speaks little English. So, please, do not shout at anyone just because he or she uses a wheelchair, cannot see, or cannot speak a great deal of English.

Don’t use baby talk either. Years ago I had a friend in Missouri with muscular dystrophy and several degrees; she was also petite but really didn’t look much younger than her 30 years — if you actually would look at her face. Without fail, people who did not know her would speak to her as to a child. She usually responded with compassion but when she also responded with her extensive vocabulary, the ones who had started with baby talk would actually get angry and walk away (as though she has played some kind of trick on them)! So, please remember that using a wheelchair does not mean a person is mentally deficient.

Be a nice person; if your conversation is going to last more than three to five minutes, sit down or kneel so you are closer to the same level with the person using the chair. This makes eye contact possible as well as avoids an aching neck. (Try talking while you stare up at the ceiling and you’ll get the idea.) If you get at eye level, it will also help you avoid another mistake: speaking to the companion or the other people in the conversation and excluding the person in the chair. This is harder to do when you are at the same eye level as the person in the chair.

Don’t sweat your language when it comes to expressions. People who use wheelchairs "have to run" and do from time-to-time find themselves "running behind." However, please banish the word crippled from your language forever, okay? I know, there are organizations that still used this word in their name but how about we start a campaign to break them of that habit?