Language is a powerful tool for prejudice and discrimination. Historically, persons with disabilities have been labelled or called names to emphasize that they are different and do not conform to the societal norms of abilities and beauty.

In some cultures in South Sudan, as in many other parts of the world, individuals with disabilities are addressed by their impairments rather than by their given names.

• When meeting for the first time, introduce and describe yourself.
• Identify yourself so the person with the visual impairment knows who you are.
• If you get closer in your relationship, a blind person may want to feel your body features as part of getting to know you better.
• Inform the person if you are moving away. Do not leave without telling him or her that you are leaving.
• Describe the space you are in as well as any things you see to the person.
• Be specific in your descriptions. Say, “the table is in front of you”, NOT “the table is here”.
• Avoid comments like ‘over there’ when giving directions. Rather be specific to direct him to their right or left (and not your right or left).
• When you are in a group, tell them who is present, or let the group members introduce themselves.
• When conversing in a group setting, address persons by their names.
• When you are talking in a group, use the person’s name when you are directing the conversation to him or her.
• Always talk directly to the person. Do not use a third person to answer your questions.
• Do not move things, or leave things on the floor where someone can fall over them.
• Speak naturally and clearly. There is no need to shout.
• Avoid noisy places so that he or she can hear you clearly.

• Always ask first if the person wants help. Do not help someone without asking him or her first.
• For people with low vision use clear signs and documents. These can be in large letters or with letters that you can feel.
• For blind people who can read braille, you can give written information in braille.
• When preparing printed information for persons with low vision, ask the person his/her preferred formats for personal documents. General information is usually given in Arial 18 point bold.
• Do not provide email attachments or files to be read on a computer in PDF or PowerPoint formats. Use Word document or html. Presently, accessible PDF files are emerging but this is not common in Africa.
• Do not be surprised to hear or scared to use phrases like ‘I will see you’. People who cannot see use such phrases too.
• If you are at a table together for a meal, give a description of the food. If possible, describe where what is on the plate.
• Do not play with or remove the white cane of a person who is blind from where he or she places it. If it is unavoidable for you to place the white cane elsewhere, remember to inform the person. They need the white cane for mobility purposes.
• Do not play with a guide dog without the owner’s permission. It is a distraction. The dog is on duty.
• Avoid revolving doors. On stairs and escalators, assist by putting the person’s hand on the railing. Let the person know whether the stairs or escalators are going up or down. Allow them a choice between stairs, escalators or lifts.

• Walk alongside and slightly ahead of the person. Do not hold the person’s hand. Allow them to hold your arm.
• Bend your arm to your back when passing through a narrow space. S/he will get directly behind you to avoid obstacles.

• Put the person’s hand on the back of his/her chair. S/he will be able to sit.
• If the chair is backless, put his/her hand on the seat for him/her to be able to sit.

Here are some useful tips for communicating with someone with a visual impairment. However, even though these tips can provide useful guidance on communicating with persons with visual impairments, it is always important to ask someone themselves how they want to be addressed, and how they want to be supported or treated.

• When meeting for the first time, introduce and describe yourself.
• Identify yourself so the person with the visual impairment knows who you are.
• If you get closer in your relationship, a blind person may want to feel your body features as part of getting to know you better.
• Inform the person if you are moving away. Do not leave without telling him or her that you are leaving.
• Describe the space you are in as well as any things you see to the person.
• Be specific in your descriptions. Say, “the table is in front of you”, NOT “the table is here”.
• Avoid comments like ‘over there’ when giving directions. Rather be specific to direct him to their right or left (and not your right or left).
• When you are in a group, tell them who is present, or let the group members introduce themselves.
• When conversing in a group setting, address persons by their names.
• When you are talking in a group, use the person’s name when you are directing the conversation to him or her.
• Always talk directly to the person. Do not use a third person to answer your questions.
• Do not move things, or leave things on the floor where someone can fall over them.
• Speak naturally and clearly. There is no need to shout.
• Avoid noisy places so that he or she can hear you clearly.

• Always ask first if the person wants help. Do not help someone without asking him or her first.
• For people with low vision use clear signs and documents. These can be in large letters or with letters that you can feel.
• For blind people who can read braille, you can give written information in braille.
• When preparing printed information for persons with low vision, ask the person his/her preferred formats for personal documents. General information is usually given in Arial 18 point bold.
• Do not provide email attachments or files to be read on a computer in PDF or PowerPoint formats. Use Word document or html. Presently, accessible PDF files are emerging but this is not common in Africa.
• Do not be surprised to hear or scared to use phrases like ‘I will see you’. People who cannot see use such phrases too.
• If you are at a table together for a meal, give a description of the food. If possible, describe where what is on the plate.
• Do not play with or remove the white cane of a person who is blind from where he or she places it. If it is unavoidable for you to place the white cane elsewhere, remember to inform the person. They need the white cane for mobility purposes.
• Do not play with a guide dog without the owner’s permission. It is a distraction. The dog is on duty.
• Avoid revolving doors. On stairs and escalators, assist by putting the person’s hand on the railing. Let the person know whether the stairs or escalators are going up or down. Allow them a choice between stairs, escalators or lifts.

• Walk alongside and slightly ahead of the person. Do not hold the person’s hand. Allow them to hold your arm.
• Bend your arm to your back when passing through a narrow space. S/he will get directly behind you to avoid obstacles.

• Put the person’s hand on the back of his/her chair. S/he will be able to sit.
• If the chair is backless, put his/her hand on the seat for him/her to be able to sit.

Persons with disabilities are not a homogenous group. Each type of impairment has distinct peculiarities and needs. Even non-disabled persons have their likes and dislikes which you get to know. Therefore, it is good to be aware about what the particular preferences are for an individual, rather than assume that these are the same for all persons.

However, these 5 tips can help you when interacting with students or staff with disabilities.

• Do not stare at persons with disabilities too much. It makes people uncomfortable.
• Avoid pity. Pity is a negative attitude.
• Communicate directly with the person, even when they are accompanied by an assistant.
• Ask before you render assistance. Unsolicited help may threaten the person’s dignity and security.
• Avoid ‘heroic’ praises. It signifies that you have a lower expectation of the person.

• Call a person with a disability by his/her name and refer to a person’s disability only when it is related to what you are talking about. For example, don’t ask “What’s wrong with you?” Don’t refer to people in general or generic terms such as “the girl in the wheelchair.”
• Talk directly to the person with a disability and not to his or her assistant, when you want to talk to the person with a disability.
• It is okay to use words or phrases such as “disabled,” “disability,” or “persons with disabilities” when talking about disability issues. Ask persons with disabilities which term they prefer if they have a disability.
• When talking about people without disabilities, it is okay to say “people without disabilities.” But do not refer to them as “normal” or “healthy.” These terms can make persons with disabilities feel as though there is something wrong with them and that they are “abnormal.”
• Be eloquent, audible and avoid using lots of non-verbal.

Imagine: you are a lecturer and have students with disabilities in your lectures. How can you make that Powerpoint or handouts in Word format accessible? Search no more! Below are some handy tips.

Making Word documents accessible.

Making Powerpoint Presentations accessible.

1. Styles formatting: When preparing a document in Word use the formatting “Styles” Title, Heading 1, Heading 2 etc. as applicable and use a Table of Contents.
   These features make it easier to navigate through a document with a screen reader (enables skim reading instead of having to listen to the whole text being read out).
   Use headings in the correct sequence, i.e. Heading 2 follows Heading 1; Heading 3 follows Heading 2. Do this by:
   • Selecting the heading text.
   • Under the Home tab, under Styles, select a heading style.
     
2. Sans serif fonts: Use sans serif fonts (like Arial and Verdana) as these are accessible. This also applies when sending emails.
3. Use bold: Avoid writing in capital letters, using italics and underlining. If you want to emphasize a word it is best to use bold. This also applies when sending emails.
4. Alignment: Always align text left. Never justify to the right.
5. Hyphens: Do not use hyphens to split words, rather place the whole word on the next line.
6. Numbers and bullets: When providing a listing or schedule (using numbers or bullet points) have these one below each other for easier navigation with screen readers and on Braille print (this enables skim reading instead of having to listen/read through the whole text). Use the bulleting and numbering formats in Word to make sure they correctly follow each other.
   • This is an example
   • Of listing
   • With bullet points
7. Tables: Make tables as simple as possible – specify column header information. Make sure they don’t contain split cells, merged cells, nested tables, or blank rows. Split or merged cells can help the screen reader lose track of where they are. Blank rows can make someone think that the rest of the table is empty. To use table headers:
   • Position the cursor in the table
   • Under the Table Tools Design tab, in the Table Style Options group, select the Header Row Box.
   • Type column headings.
8. Always write abbreviations in full the first time you mention them in the text. Such as Light for the World (LFTW). Braille software does not necessarily read out abbreviations and can link a different meaning to them. For example, the abbreviation GA (meaning General Assembly) is recognised and read out as ‘Georgia’ by the screen reader Jaws 12.
9. Page numbers: Always insert page numbers to a document on the top right corner of the page. Page numbers are a useful point of reference for documents printed in Braille as well as for screen readers.
10. Avoid enter for spacing: Avoid using the Enter key to create space between paragraphs. Instead Use the space before and space after properties in your styles toolbar. Similarly, don’t use Enter to create space or go to a new page, but use page breaks.
11. Space: Leave a line of white space between the logo and the main title as well as between each heading. Headings should start on a new page. Such spaces and lay-out are a useful point of reference when reading through a Braille document.
12. Images: Ensure that there are no images running over / under the text as this makes text more difficult to read.
13. Alt text: Ensure that all images and logos in documents contain Alt texts so that people using screen readers receive this
    info. For decorative images the assigned Alt text should be “” (this indicates the screen reader to skip this info). How to add alt text:
    • Right-click the image.
    • Select Format Picture > Layout & Properties.
    • Select Alt Text.
    • Type description and title.
      
14. Include meaningful hyperlinks: Make sure that hyperlink text makes sense as standalone information and give clear information about what the destination is. For example, don’t use the words CLICK HERE, but use the full title of the destination.
15. Accessibility checker: Use this by clicking “Info”, then “Inspect Document” (see below)
    

1. Use a high-contrast colour scheme for persons with low vision, colour blindness and dyslexia:
   • Such as white text on a dark background.
   • or dark text on an off white background.
2. Colour and Brightness Contrast
   • The highest brightness contrast is between black and white.
   • Objects have the highest colour contrast when they have complementary colours, such as red & green and yellow & blue.
   • Main contrast in a slide must come from brightness and not from colour. In particular, there is difficulty with green text on red background. When necessary to have a red background, use dark red and apply white fonts or when a green background is required, use a light green background and a black font.
   • Best to apply dark background colours (low brightness) and use bright colours (high brightness) for the text.

   A white font on a deep blue background is a very good combination.

3. Examples of good text and background color combinations are:
   • White text on a dark green background
   • Yellow text on a dark blue background
   • Yellow text on a black background
   • Pink text on a black background
   • White text on a dark blue background
   • Do not use a pure white background as this may create an uncomfortable glare.
   • Do not use a multi-coloured background. If background images are needed, only use a low brightness.
4. Recommended font sizes and font type:
   • Use font size 48 and never use less than font size 32 unless it is for personal notes and page numbers.
   • Headings should be in a font size of 48 and text found in the body of the slide should be a font size of 40.

Barriers are obstacles that persons with disabilities experience in work, in social life, and at home. The barriers may differ per person as persons with disabilities can have different disabilities, difference in the degree of difficulty, and also other differences, for example, being a woman, from an ethnic tribe, etc.

Barriers hinder persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis like others. Although persons with disabilities do have their functional limitations, the environment and others can make it possible for them to participate, if they want.

For example, persons with a physical disability may experience limitations in moving around. They experience a barrier when community meetings take place in a building where people need to climb stairs. If a ramp would have been there, they would be able to come and participate in the community meeting.

With a group of community members, conduct an appraisal of, for example, training facilities. Have a mixed group of women and men with and without disabilities, from a range of ages. Having a variety of people will also help raise issues regarding barriers based on age, gender, different abilities etc. Participants discuss the barriers and categorise them into the four barrier categories:

Ask persons with disabilities themselves about the barriers they face, and listen. Also ask about possible solutions.

Here is an example of what a participatory barrier analysis may look like: