Website:
Make sure that your organization’s website is accessible and includes alt tags (text describing graphics) and/or a link to a text only version of your site. If you have a no-pet policy, make sure you state that you allow service dogs.
Phone:
Make sure your staff is aware of your organization’s accessibility and is trained to respond accurately to inquiries about accessibility. Have a list of your facility’s accessible features available for staff and identify those features on your website.
In-Person:
Speak directly to the individual you are addressing, not to a companion or sign language interpreter. Never shout at a person. Speak in a normal tone of voice.
When you meet someone with a vision disability, always identify yourself and others who may be with you. Be sure to let the individual know when you are leaving.
Listen attentively when talking with people who have difficulty speaking and wait for them to finish. If necessary, ask questions that require short answers or a nod of the head. Never pretend to understand. Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.
Service animals are working animals, not pets. Do not pet, feed or distract them.
Person First. Avoid words/phrases such as handicapped, victim, confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair bound, cripple, suffers from, retarded, mute, or dumb. Always remember that you are talking to a person…a customer.
Service Animals:
Welcome service animals into your establishment. Service animals assist people with all types of disabilities, including individuals who are blind, Deaf, have epilepsy, use wheelchairs, and many others. If pets are not allowed and it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. When in doubt or debate, err on the side of caution and permit the animal.