Today we’ll see how small changes in the workplace can enable the disabled employees to do their job even better. The video you’re about to watch deals with the issue of disability discrimination and the language activities that go with it will hopefully help you become more sensitive to certain language nuances.
Pre-watching
Have a look at a list of expressions related to disability. Some of them are offensive and should be avoided, others are neutral and acceptable. Divide the words into two groups.
| being slow | birth defect | birth anomaly | hard of hearing |
disabled
| wheelchair user | visually impaired | non-vocal |
mute
| learning disability | person with epilepsy | handicapped |
crazy
| emotionally disabled | midget | person of short stature
|
| spastic | wheelchair bound | the deaf | blind as a bat |
Affirmative language :-) ………………………………………………………………………………………..
Language to avoid :-( …………………………………………………………………………………………
Key: wheelchair user/wheelchair bound:-( disabled/handicapped:-( person of short stature/midget:-(
learning disability/being slow:-( birth anomaly/birth defect:-( person with epilepsy/spastic:-( non-vocal/mute:-(
hard of hearing/deaf:-( visually impaired/blind as a bat:-( emotionally disabled/crazy:-(
Source and inspiration: http://www.michellehenry.fr/disabled.htm#voc
Match the following words with their definitions:
1) visual impairment 2) diabetes 3) arthritis
a) inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness
b) partial or total loss of sight
c) a disease in which there is usually too much sugar in the blood
Key: 1b2c3a
Now you’re ready to watch a short British public information film broadcast in 2006:
Disability Discrimination: Disabled/Enabled
Post-watching
Answer the following questions:
1. What do the speakers suffer from?
2. What are their jobs?
3. What are the adjustments implemented by their bosses?
4. What can be done to help the last speaker?
Key: 1. visual impairment/diabetes/mobility disability/arthritis 2. an accountant/a builder/a shop assistant/ an IT specialist 3. paper work in large print/a few short breaks to manage blood glucose levels/lowered cash desk/…4.his desk might be put on the ground floor
As a bonus, watch the following American video, which was an element of The Campaign for Disability Employment. Enjoy it :-)
Maja Witowska-Rubaszek- ACT Advanced Corporate Training
Doświadczona lektorka języka angielskiego, specjalizująca się w
przygotowywaniu i prowadzeniu szkoleń z zakresu Business English i
ogólnego języka angielskiego dla klientów korporacyjnych. Ukończyła
Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języka Angielskiego i Amerykanistykę na
Uniwersytecie Warszawskim. Z ACT współpracuje od 2005 roku, prowadząc
zajęcia regularne oraz szkolenia specjalistyczne dla pracowników działów
HR, księgowości oraz dla finansistów, a także warsztaty z
dyplomatycznych rozmów towarzyskich (tzw. small talk).
Swoim bogatym doświadczeniem dzieli się z innymi lektorami prowadząc
warsztaty metodyczne w ACT oraz opracowując autorskie materiały
szkoleniowe, które cieszą się wielką popularnością.
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Autorem sekcji HR English @work jest ACT Advanced Corporate Training.