How to Interact with People with Disabilities
Acquired Brain Injury
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is damage to the brain, which occurs after birth, as a result of a traumatic or non-traumatic event and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease and can result in temporary, prolonged or permanent impairments in cognitive, emotional, behavioural or physical functioning.
True or False Quiz:
Acquired Brain Injury is a degenerative condition like Parkinsons Disease, Alzheimers Disease, Huntingtons Disease or Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Correct Answer: False
Acquired Brain Injury is a congenital condition like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), prenatal illness, perinatal hypoxia.
Correct Answer: False
People with brain injury may have a loss of muscle control or mobility that is not obvious.
Correct Answer: True. For example, a person may not be able to sign her name, even though she can move her hand.
A person with a brain injury may have poor impulse control.
Correct Answer: True
A person with a brain injury may make inappropriate comments and may not understand social cues or "get" indications that he/she has offended someone.
Correct Answer: True
Video Player Controls
Screen reader users:
Tab into the tool bar.
Then turn the virtual cursor/buffer off to enable pass-through mode.
For JAWS: Insert + Z.
For NVDA: Caps Lock + Space Bar.
For Window-Eyes: Ctrl + Shift + A.
Right and left arrow keys navigate tool bar controls.
Keyboard shortcuts are also available while in pass-through mode:
Alt Control P for play and pause.
Alt Control S for stop.
Alt control M for mute.
Alt control R doubles size of player.
Alt control T toggles focus between elapsed time and toolbar.
VoiceOver users: Use the Enable Player VoiceOver Access button to make the toolbar button text display and then use the Focus Toolbar button to jump into the toolbar. (VoiceOver with Safari 3, only. Safari 4 beta does not work with toolbar. Disable VoiceOver and use keyboard shortcuts.)
Tips for interacting with a person with Acquired Brain Injury
Communication:
- Ask if assistance is required. A person with a brain injury may be unable to follow directions due to poor short-term memory or poor directional orientation. S/he may ask to be accompanied, or s/he may use a guide dog for orientation, although s/he does not appear to have mobility needs.
- Check for clarity. If you are not sure that the person understands you, ask if s/he would like you to write down what you were saying.
Behaviour:
- Provide explanations about their environment. A person with a brain injury may still rely on your explanation of things but more so that they can interact with their environment. Spend a few seconds showing them any objects or instruments before letting them touch it, be sure to discuss it with them.
Environment/Surroundings:
- Be patient. The person may have trouble concentrating or organizing her/his thoughts, especially in an overstimulating environment, particularly during an emergency. Be patient. You might suggest going somewhere with fewer distractions.
- Stay calm. Remember to stay calm, the person may have trouble remembering things or regulating their emotions.
