The language of inclusion on a form

While surfing Twitter, I was drawn to this article because of its title: “Disability-smart customer service: handling difficult situations“. I clicked the link to get to the article, but I didn’t read it. I happened to scroll at the same time and ended up at the registration form section of the page. The form really caught my attention.

After the usual name and email fields on the form, I saw a text box labelled “Adjustments”. Inside the box, placeholder text stated:

Please tell us if you require any adjustments for this event e.g. dietary, access, assistance, alternative formats, interpreters or disabled parking

I think using the term adjustments and the language of the placeholder text is neutral. This could be far less stigmatising than the label of “Disabilities”, “Accessibility”, or “Special Needs”, and much more inclusive.

The article is on the Business Disability Forum website. The event for this registration is aimed at “Customer service managers and supervisors responsible for resolving complaints and handling complex situations that may be related to a customer’s disability.” The event will discuss “some of the more challenging situations faced by customer service professionals when interacting with members of the public particularly when they have non-visible disabilities such as mental health problems, learning difficulties, dementia, autism or Asperger’s or sensory impairments that aren’t immediately apparent.”

I have no affiliation with this event or website. I just wanted to share an example of more inclusive language – simple microcopy that can make a positive difference. Nice to see that they aim to “walk the talk”.