Disability

[ShortOfTime]

This is one that I have always personally struggled with. I do not have a problem with people with disability but I fear offending by trying to not offend.

For instance recently we went to a store and saw a co-worker and her son, who has cerebral palsy. She wasn't looking, and he was, so I said hi to him first-it was logical in this case.

But other times, the choice isn't so clear and I worry-if I great the mother do I seem like I am ignoring him (he's sharp as a tack and might be offended), but if I great him first, then do I seem like I am making a point of talking to him-like it's a charity thing.

How do you deal with this? I know that being natural would be the best, but I don't want to seem like I am being condescending.

[ammulu]

It is tough if given a thought. I would rather think that it might be Good to just greet whoever you direct come in contact with first. When you don't have any such thought in mind it shouldn't matter at all, if other person feels you are showing some difference then it would be that they have that inner feeling themselves thinking that people show some difference to them and their kid.

[Serenity]

I am hoping that the world will come to a point where we wouldn't even be concerned about this. If you think about it, the intense effort put into to being politically correct is adding to the whole "different" stigma placed on various groups of people. It just makes both sides uncomfortable.

[ShortOfTime]

It is! The PC movement in some ways has just gone nuts and made things so much harder for people! My natural inclination would be to talk to all of them, but to him first because he reached us first. But then the whole PC thing has me second guessing and this happens with so many other things too.