“If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.” – Dr. Stephen Shore.
The usage of the term spectrum has become a tool to help measure beyond black and white classifications. The developmental disability spectrum is home to a wide range of disabilities and a wide range of severities. Additionally, every human being has their own personality, and people with disabilities are no different. You never know who it is you are going to meet, and people with disabilities are no exception. But there are practices you can put in place that will set you up for a successful relationship with a client with a developmental disability.
A developmental disability means that an individual has a condition that makes one or more parts of his or her daily function not typical. Atypical daily functioning differs for everyone, so find out what accommodations your client will need. When meeting any client, ask them, “Are there any special needs that I can try to accommodate?” This is a great opening for a client to let you know about any disabilities, including developmental ones. If a client says yes and offers his or her disability, ask them to tell you more about how that affects him or her during their day. Understanding how this impacts his or her day will help you plan how you will accommodate.
Without having a specific client to talk about, I believe the most important skills when working with people with disabilities is approachability, patience and simplifying. Present yourself with warmth and truly care about making your clients daily life function as easily as possible. Think ahead to any barriers you may encounter during your agency relationship and try to remove them. Make sure your client knows that you want to hear about all of their concerns and you want to understand how their life in a home may be different than other clients.
While the world will be appreciative of more patience, it is vital when working with clients with disabilities. Think about all of the things that can cause you to be late and the times that you need to make an inference and hope for the best. Maybe there's a detour that did not show up on GPS, you have a flat tire, or you forgot your credit card. We all depend on external forces showing mercy on us so that our day can run smoothly. Your clients with disabilities maybe more so. This may be additional technology, metro access transportation or the availability of a caregiver. Understand that there may be last minute issues that arise. Be understanding.
Patience and simplifying go hand and hand when it comes to house hunting. We like to get excited about little details and point them out. We enjoy seeing excitement from our clients. But be careful not to overwhelm a client with a developmental disability. Move slowly from room to room. Make sure your client has had time to process what they see. His or her developmental disability may require that they take more time than someone without. They may become overstimulated. Tell your client to take their time and tell them to let you know when they are ready to go to the next room. When they signal they are ready, it means they are ready for new information, so that is a good time to point out little details that you want them to see, like the crown molding or the special light switches.
Tip: You may have a client who is prone to seizures or has special visual needs. Perhaps you need to enter the property first and check the lighting to make sure none of it is too bright.Lastly, SIMPLIFY YOUR LANGUAGE, use less words. Remember that non-verbal communication is up to 93% of communication. There is enough there to be confusing, so do not add any extra words than are necessary. You can still be warm and friendly, but remember, the kindest thing you can do is communicate clearly. Here is an example:
You are showing the Smith’s a home and they have a 9 year old with Down Syndrome. She
is in the living room but the family has moved onto the kitchen. “Where’s Susie?” says mom.
You offer to bring her in while the family keeps admiring the cabinets. You find her. “Hi
Susie, isn’t this room fun? We will have time to come back in after, but your parents are in
the kitchen. Come this way.” What a warm response! But, it is not a simple response.
Try this: WAVE AND SMILE. “Hi Susie (pause until she acknowledges you). Your parents are
in the kitchen.” Still smiling, you turn your body to the side and reach your arm out like a
butler (I have never met a butler, but in my head that is what they do) would, showing the
way to her parents in the kitchen. Your non-verbal and verbal communication have worked
together to have less spoken language for Susie to have to interpret.
As a special education teacher as well as a realtor, I can tell you that a disability name is not a description of a person. But empathy paired with the willingness to learn and change is the best place to start.
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