Welcome to The School District of Lee County

	James Earl Jones ~ One of America's best known actors, his resonant voice once stuttered badly.
	Alexander Graham Bell ~ The inventor of the telephone had a learning disability and slight hearing loss.
	Chris Burke ~ An American actor, best known for his character Charles "Corky" Thatcher on the television series Life Goes On. He has Downs Syndrome.
	Eleanor Roosevelt ~ The wife of America's 32nd president was a tireless social reformer and activist with what we now call Attention Deficit Disorder.
	John Milton ~ The author of "Paradise Lost" and other epic poems dictated his poetry to an assistant after glaucoma caused him to lose his sight.
	Axl Rose ~ The lead singer of Guns 'n Roses has been diagnosed and treated for Bipolar Disorder.
	Emily Dickinson ~ One of America's greatest poets, an extreme mood disorder caused her to become a recluse and she rarely left her home after her mid-20's.
	Pythagoras ~ The Greek who is often called "the first pure mathematician" had epileptic seizures.
	Bonnie St. John Deane ~ An international speaker, executive coach, author and company president. She is also a medal-winning Olympic skier, Rhodes Scholar, former White House official, and has a residual limb.
	Virginia Woolf ~ This British writer and editor contributed much to modern literature and social reform in spite of severe Bipolar Disorder.
	Henry Ford ~ Attention Deficit Disorder had not yet been named when Henry Ford's ideas about mass production revolutionized American industry, but he exhibited all of the classic symptoms.
	Stephen Hawking ~ Perhaps the world's most accomplished astrophysicist...much of his work has been done since he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
	Harriet Tubman ~ The woman who was called "the Moses of her people" led many slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. At the age of twelve she was seriously injured by a purposeful blow to the head. The injury caused her to have seizures throughout her life.
	George Washington ~ The first U.S. President had very poor grammar skills and had great difficulty with writing, due to a learning disability.
	Itzhak Perlman ~ The world's greatest living violinist walks with the help of crutches and leg braces. He contracted Polio when he was four years old.
	Annie Sullivan ~ Helen Keller's teacher and lifelong friend was nearly blind herself, due to a childhood illness.
	Sir Winston Churchill ~ The eloquent scholar who led Great Britain through World War II worked hard all of his life to overcome a speech impediment.
	Vincent Van Gogh ~ Various biographies describe the artist as suffering with epilepsy, depression, psychotic attacks, delusions, and Bipolar Disorder.
	Geri Jewell ~ Best known as Cousin Geri on the NBC sitcom, “The Facts of Life”, she was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. She has Cerebral Palsy.

OVERVIEW OF DISABILITY ETIQUETTE

When people know what is expected of them in certain situations, they can feel more comfortable and help those around them be more careful. Etiquette, or good manners, helps people know what to do. This overview is designed to let people know some of the etiquette to follow when meeting people with disabilities.

· Remember introductions.

o When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you.

o When conversing in a group, identify the person to whom you are speaking.

o Indicate the end of a conversation when you leave someone who is blind or has severe visual impairment.

o When introduced to a person, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting. If the person cannot shake hands, they will let you know.

· Treat adults as adults.

o Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending that same familiarity to all other present.

o Never patronize people who use wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulders.

· Speak directly to the person you are addressing rather than to a companion or sign language interpreter who may be with the person with a disability.

· When talking with a person with a disability use a natural conversational tone and speed.

· Listen attentively when you are talking with a person with a disability.

· If the person has difficulty speaking, be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for that person.

· If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod, or a shake of the head.

· Never pretend to understand if you are not sure.

o It is okay to ask them to repeat what they said.

o Also, you can repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.

· Respect people’s personal space. A wheelchair is considered to be part of the personal body space of the person who uses it.