POD People (those with obvious disabilities) are often “helped” into a worse situation, causing lost dignity that can be humiliating. You just want to help. But how? Here are some suggestions.
If a non-sighted woman needs guiding, let her take your arm. Allow the stutterer to finish his own word or sentence. A lip-reader needs you to face him and speak normally (don’t exaggerate your lip movements). Someone who has fallen or is having trouble getting up a hill or curb in a wheelchair is in danger if you just grab hold without asking what he needs you to do.
The disabled woman in the bathroom has only one stall she can use, so invite her to go ahead as soon as it’s open. And don’t tie up that stall for changing clothes or potty-training your three kids. The bathroom may be empty when you go in, but a disabled person may come in right after you.
Avoid parking in the handicap space, even “for just a minute,” and stay out of that cross-hatch zone next to it, which is there so people can get their wheelchairs in and out of their vehicles. Don’t stick your emptied shopping cart there, either, to block the needed space.
Deciding what to do is actually easy: when in doubt, just treat people as you’d want them to treat you.