Assisting People Who Have Cognitive Disabilities

The 1997 U.S. Census Bureau reports that 1.4 million citizens have mental retardation and 3.5 million have some form of a learning disability. As with all other disabilities, cognitive disabilities have a wide range of manifestations, from the individual with dyslexia whose reading speed may be slower to the individual who requires a personal assistant to accomplish daily tasks.

The diagnosis of mental retardation often means not much more than being slower to comprehend or process information. Remember, people with learning disabilities or cognitive disabilities often have good hearing and vision, but the message is not sorted properly once it is received.

Remember These Basic Tips:

• Speak slowly and distinctly. Support what you are saying with body language and other visual cues.
• Give specific instructions and set simple guidelines. Don’t underestimate the individual’s potential to understand you.
• Phrase instructions in the positive. For example, “Walk carefully and slowly inside, it is very dark” is more easily understood than “Don’t fall”.
• Help the person feel comfortable. Maintain a pleasant voice and facial expression.
• Treat the adult who has a cognitive disability as an adult, not a child. Don’t “talk down” to the individual.
• Base exceptions to museum rules and policies on reason, not pity and state important rules and exceptions at the start of a tour as you would with any other patron.
• Consider moving to an area with fewer distractions allowing for more direct focused contact.
• Do not patronize. Remember that these individuals are capable of learning and are able to appreciate new experiences.
• Some information processing problems may affect social skills such as an unconventional or complete lack of response. Do not confuse this with rudeness.

Myths and Facts a bout People with Cognitive Disabilities

MYTH: A learning disability affects only academic achievement and will disappear as a child matures.
FACT: A learning disability affects many aspects of a person’s life such as driving, team participation, and human relations. Although its impact can be lessened somewhat as a person develops and learns to compensate, learning disability is a life-long issue.

MYTH: Learning disability is another name for mental retardation.
FACT: Both conditions interfere with the ability to learn. However, mental retardation involves a generalized, lower intelligence or a reduced or delayed intellectual development, while learning disability describes a range of physiological conditions that causes problems as individuals process information. Difficulties can include visual, auditory, memory, or other forms of information processing.

MYTH: A person with a cognitive disability cannot learn or follow directions.
FACT: There are different effects of cognitive disability and each individual is capable of comprehending directions at a more simplified level. Present information using simplified language and in short sentences and check frequently for comprehension, asking the individual to repeat what they understand.

MYTH: A person with a cognitive disability should be pitied and treated with special attention.
FACT: If an individual is at your museum, she is expecting the same enjoyable experience as all the other patrons. Having knowledge of different accommodations and communication aides will assist you to provide effective and satisfactory services. Flexibility and creativity in communication are the common keys to respectful communication.

MYTH: People with cognitive or other types of disabilities are suffering.
FACT: Prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the societal response to people with disabilities was to place them in segregated institutions for “Their own protection.” Financial efforts focused on finding a cure, to put an end to their suffering, or to extend charity. Being kind to a person with a disability is not an acceptable substitute for the provision of appropriate and quality customer care.

When conducting a tour that includes people who have cognitive or learning disabilities remember:

• Select well-organized, uncluttered exhibits. Persons with cognitive or learning disabilities can be easily confused by an overload of visual, auditory or tactile stimulation.
• Define technical terms and abstract concepts using simple language. Use concrete language when describing items on your tour. Also, use participatory activities to help clarify and demonstrate these concepts. Include tactile or touchable items.
• Move from specific to general descriptions. Talk about one or two objects first, how they are used, what their purpose is and then relate them to the room or gallery.
• Repeat information in a variety of ways and summarize information frequently.
• Breakdown information into small segments. It is safe to assume that your audience has little or not experience with the topic. Use comparative information to contract between the exhibit and something they can relate to their personal experience.
• Do not worry if a patron with a cognitive disability does not understand every aspect of your tour or exhibit. This is no different than any other patron.
• If someone in your tour behaves inappropriately or becomes disruptive, address this issue immediately. Ask for assistance from another volunteer, attendant or teacher.