According to the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), there are about 13.3 million people in the United Kingdom who have disabilities. If you know someone who has a disability, whether they be a family member, a friend, or a colleague, you might want to learn about how to offer proper care and support to them. Here are a few tips you can consider:
Educate yourself about their disability.
There are different types of disabilities. Some are physical while others are psychosocial. Under these two main branches, there are sub-categories that can affect a person’s life in many different ways. For instance, sight and hearing problems require different types of support. There are disabilities that a person is born with and there are those that a person can acquire. Someone living with a disability may need medication, therapy, or both. To be able to know which type of support someone needs, you need to educate yourself first about their condition.
Familiarize yourself with the Motability Scheme.
In the United Kingdom, there is what is called the Motability Scheme that helps disabled individuals get affordable cars, scooters, and powered wheelchair leases in exchange for their mobility allowance. Through this scheme, those with disabilities can lease smart Motability cars that are easy to maintain and operate. If your friend or family member needs a way to get to places more conveniently, you can help them get in on this car and scooter scheme from the Motability charity. You can also assist them in choosing the perfect vehicle from a registered and established dealership such as Sandown-Group.
Attend a disability sensitivity course.
Even though you have a personal relationship with a disabled person, you can never fully understand what it is like to live with their disability. They’re the only ones who truly know the challenges that come with a condition like theirs. Therefore, even without meaning to, there may be instances when you say or do something that can offend them. To avoid this problem, you can attend a disability sensitivity course that will teach you how to better interact with a disabled person. Hospitals, therapists, social workers, and organizations offer this type of course to family members and friends. You can also attend such training if you are a teacher, an employer, a business owner, or anyone who may have contact with disabled persons.
Listen to their needs.
As mentioned earlier, the only person who truly knows the challenges of living with a disability is the person who has it. So the best way to know how to offer care and support is to listen to what they need. They can tell you what type of assistance they require. Avoid insisting that they follow your way of doing things, especially when they’re specific about the kind of support they need from you.
Living with a disability can be difficult and challenging, but persons with disabilities can still live a perfectly normal life with proper care and support. Hopefully, these tips will help you help someone with a disability. As a last reminder: The most important thing you can do for a disabled person is to love them unconditionally.