Professional Communication Practices: Values, Ethics

1
Professional Communication Practices Values,
Ethics Confidentiality

• Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

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Overview

• Why is there a Public Vocational Rehabilitation
  Program?
• The Foundation of our Work
• Attitudes Barriers Faced by People with
  Disabilities
• Putting our Work in the Context of Todays
  Society
• Values, Ethics Confidentiality
• Professional Communication Practices
• Effective Communication Practices
• First Impressions are Powerful

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• The foundation of our work

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• gt54 million people with disabilities in the
  United States.
• Historically, the condition of having a
  disability has been viewed as tragic.
• VSA Brief History of the Disability Movement,
  http//www.vsarts.org/x537.xml

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• By the 19th century, institutionalization was the
  norm clients who needed to be cured (medical
  model).
• This practice had the effect of excluding people
  with disabilities from the larger society and
  implied that something was inherently and
  permanently wrong with them. It provided no room
  for integration, and perpetuated myths of
  inequality.

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• As thousands of WWI soldiers returned home, the
  first VR acts were passed in the 1920s to provide
  services to WWI veterans with newly acquired
  disabilities.
• But perhaps the biggest changes within the
  disability rights movement came with the civil
  rights movements of the 1960s.

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• In the early 1970s, people with disabilities
  lobbied Congress to put civil rights language for
  people with disabilities into the 1972
  Rehabilitation Act.
• After a group of people with disabilities marched
  on Washington, a revised 1973 Rehabilitation Act
  was passed.
• For the first time in history, the civil rights
  of people with disabilities were protected by
  law. This law is the foundation of the public VR
  program.

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Why is there a Public VR Program?

• People with disabilities did not achieve broad
  civil rights until the enactment of the Americans
  with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
• ADA ensures equal access to employment
  opportunities and public accommodations for
  people with disabilities. Congress identified the
  full participation, inclusion and integration of
  people with disabilities into society as a
  national goal.
• Why is understanding this history important in
  how we approach our jobs in the public VR program?

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Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998

• Today, the public VR program is established in
  this federal law, which is to be reauthorized by
  Congress every five years.
• The Rehab Act Amendments are part of the
  Workforce Investment Act (Title IV).
• VR is funded by 78 federal dollars, and 22
  state dollars.

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Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998

• The purpose of the law is to empower individuals
  with disabilities to maximize employment,
  economic self-sufficiency, independence, and
  inclusion and integration into society.

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Attitudes Barriers

• Putting our work into the context of todays
  society

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Perception of Disability Society at Large

• The greatest barriers individuals with
  disabilities have faced for decades and continue
  to face today are attitudinal barriers.
• Source http//www.rcep6.org/il/conference/DRC20
  version20Disability_Sensitivity.ppt

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Why do Attitudinal Barriers Exist Today?
FEAR Many people fear they will say or do the wrong thing and, therefore, avoid people with disabilities.
BACKLASH People believe that individuals with disabilities are given unfair advantages.
DENIAL "Hidden" disabilities are not "real" disabilities that require accommodation.
SPREAD EFFECT "Hidden" disabilities are not "real" disabilities that require accommodation.
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Communicating With and About People with
Disabilities

• The Americans with Disabilities Act, other laws
  and the efforts of many disability organizations
  have made strides in improving accessibility in
  buildings, increasing access to education,
  opening employment opportunities and developing
  realistic portrayals of persons with disabilities
  in television programming and motion pictures.
  Where progress is still needed is in
  communication and interaction with people with
  disabilities.
• Source Communicating With and About People with
  Disabilities, Dept. of Labor, Office of
  Disability Employment Policy

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What is Disability Etiquette?

• Etiquette considered appropriate when interacting
  with customers with disabilities is based
  primarily on respect and courtesy.
• Listen and learn from what the customer tells you
  regarding his or her needs.

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Handicap vs. Disability

• Handicap or Handicapped
• A legendary origin of the word handicap refers
  to a person with a disability begging with his
  cap in his hand. This is believed to come from
  our war veterans after World War II as a means to
  support themselves.
• Source From Kathy Snows, Disability is
  Natural website. www.disabilityisnatural.com

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Language in Powerful!

• It reflects, reinforces, and shapes our
  perceptions of people. Words which reflect
  positive attitudes and awareness help develop
  positive communications.
• Words about disability have been strongly
  influenced by legal, medical, and political
  terms. As a result, our daily language is filled
  with technical terms which often do not convey
  our intended social message.
• Source People First A Language Guide, The
  Institute on Disabilities at Temple University

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Language Sets the Tone

• Its not just a matter of semantics or being
  politically correct the language we use
  reflects how we feel about disability.
• http//www.disabilitylearningservices.com/unit03.h
  tm

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Positive Language Empowers People First
Language

• When writing or speaking about people with
  disabilities, it is important to put the person
  first. Group designations such as "the blind,"
  "the deaf" or "the disabled" are inappropriate
  because they do not reflect the individuality,
  equality, or dignity of people with disabilities.
  Following are examples of positive and negative
  phrases. Note that the positive phrases put the
  person first.

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People First Language
Affirmative Phase Negative Phrase
Person with mental retardation retarded, mentally challenged
Person who is blind or has a visual disabilities visually impaired, the blind the disabled, handicapped
Person with a disability Person who is deaf, person who is hard of hearing suffers a hearing loss, the deaf
Person who has multiple sclerosis afflicted by MS
Person with cerebral palsy CP victim
Person who uses a wheelchair confined or restricted to a wheelchair
Person with psychiatric disability crazy, nuts
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Words to Avoid Using

• Challenged
• Handicapped
• Disabled
• Crippled
• Suffers from
• Is afflicted with
• Victim
• Pity
• Confined

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Communicating with People with Disabilities

• When introduced to a person with a disability, it
  is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People
  with limited hand use or who wear an artificial
  limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with
  the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
• If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is
  accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
• Treat adults as adults. Address people who have
  disabilities by their first names only when
  extending the same familiarity to all others.

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Communicating with People with Disabilities

• Relax. Don't be embarrassed if you happen to
  use common expressions such as "See you later,"
  or "Did you hear about that?" that seem to relate
  to a person's disability.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions when you're
  unsure of what to do.

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Values, Ethics Confidentiality

• Professional communication practices

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Values

• VALUES are attitudes and beliefs about things we
  think are important in life.
• Define what we prize, regard highly or prefer
• Are indicated by frequent and consistent actions
• Our values provide the lens on how we view the
  world, including our attitude and action towards
  people.

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Learning Experience Checklist for Personal
Values

• Using your Workbook, select the ten that are most
  important to you - as guides for how to behave,
  or as components of a valued way of life.
• Now that you have identified ten, imagine that
  you are only permitted to have five values. Which
  five would you give up? Cross them off.
• Now imagine that you are only permitted four.
  Which would you give up? Cross it off.
• Now cross off another, to bring our list down to
  three.
• And another, to bring our list down to two.
• Finally cross off one of your two values. Which
  is the one item on the one that you care most
  about?

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Being Aware of Personal Values

• What are some examples of personal values that
  might impact our professional work?

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Some examples.

• Sexual identity issues
• Substance abuse
• Assisted suicide
• Child Custody
• Illegal means of support
• Spousal abuse

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The Role of Your Values

• Essential that you are aware of your values and
  how they influence what you think, say, and do
  when interacting with customers.
• When you interact with customers, it is not a
  forum for you to impose your values on customers.
• Customers have the task of clarifying their own
  values and goals, making informed choices, and
  assuming responsibility for what they do.

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Learning Experience Values

• Darlene is obtaining referral information on John
  who is apply for VR services. John is a
  well-spoken individual who has recently lost his
  job because of epilepsy. During the course of
  collecting information, John discloses he is an
  atheist. Darlene is personally and religiously
  opposed to the lifestyle.
• What should she do?

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ETHICS

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1999)
• The principles of conduct governing an individual
  or a group ltprofessional ethicsgt
• A guiding philosophy

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ETHICS

• Ethics refers to our code of conduct.
• Our personal values contribute to the strength of
  our ethics with positive behaviors and positive
  attitudes.

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ETHICS

• ETHICS IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
• (Josephson Institute 1991)

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Principles of Ethical Behavior

• Autonomy To honor the right to make individual
  decisions.
• Beneficence To do good to others.
• Nonmaleficence To do no harm to others.
• Justice To be fair and give equally to others.
• Fidelity To be loyal, honest, and keep promises.

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Ethical Practices Confidentiality

• Confidentiality has been defined by the
  International Organization for Standardization
  (ISO) as "ensuring that information is accessible
  only to those authorized to have access" and is
  one of the cornerstones of information security.
  A customer has the right to privacy and
  confidentiality.

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Confidentiality

• Factors which complicate the issue
• Multiple partners
• Referral sources
• Physical environment
• Small communities
• Special populations

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Learning Experience Chatty Cathy

• Cathy has had a rough day at the DVR office and
  goes to a local hair salon after work. She
  begins discussing recent interview of an VR
  customer with the hairdresser but is careful to
  disguise names and identifying information about
  specific customers. Has anything unethical
  occurred?

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Response

• YES. If it is possible that someone can identify
  a customer by context, then confidentiality has
  been breached. If, for example, a relative or
  friend of a customer overheard such a
  conversation and could piece together the
  information, thereby identifying the customer, an
  unethical act has occurred. Even if the risk of
  identifying a customer is not significant, any
  practice of public discussion of cases is
  generally harmful of the trust of
  confidentiality. It risks decreasing the
  confidence of the lay public in the services
  provided by DE DVR.

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Exceptions to Confidential

• What should you do if
• A customer says they plan to do harm to
  him/herself, such as suicidal thoughts?
• A customer say they are thinking of hurting
  another person, such as spouse or child abuse?
• If at any time a customer discloses information
  that they may be of harm to him/herself or
  others, immediately refer the call/visit to a
  supervisor. Such situations warrant disclosure
  of confidential information.

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Dual Relationships

• Contains both personal and nonprofessional
  components
• In addition to your role as a VR Clerical
  Professional referral information, you may have a
  relationship with the person in another role
  as a friend, teacher, community member or
  neighbor, church group, etc.
• Are dual relations always bad?
• Only if the relationship interferes with your
  ability to exercise your professional discretion,
  impairs your judgment, exploits customers, or
  does harm to customers.

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When Is a Dual Relationship Harmful?

• Intimate relationships
• Personal benefit monetary gain, goods and
  services
• Emotional and dependency needs confusion
  between personal and professional lives
• Altruistic gestures performing favors providing
  nonprofessional services, giving gifts and being
  extraordinarily available

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Learning Experience Rena the Remote

• Rena is a the only support staff in a 2 person
  office. The office has received a referral on two
  family members of her best friend since high
  school.
• What are the ethical concerns and what should
  Rena and her Supervisor do to ensure there is no
  conflict due to the dual relationship?

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Multicultural Awareness Ethical Practices

• Multicultural Awareness is a greater
  understanding, sensitivity, and appreciation of
  the history, values, experiences, and lifestyles
  of groups that include, but, are not limited to
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexual Orientation
• Religious Affiliation
• Socio-economic Status
• Mental/Physical Abilities  

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How do You View Others based upon Your Own
Culture?

• What is my cultural heritage? What was the
  culture of my parents and my grandparents? With
  what cultural group(s) do I identify?
• What values, beliefs, opinions and attitudes do I
  hold that are consistent with the dominant
  culture?
• What unique abilities, aspirations, expectations,
  and limitations do I have that might influence my
  relations with culturally diverse individuals?

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How do You View Others based upon Your Culture?

• Discuss the differences that may exist among
  various cultures
• Eye Contact
• View of Gender
• Family Influence
• Others?
• How might your cultural lens impact your reaction
  to others from diverse cultures?

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Stereotyping

• Cultural stereotyping occurs when we automatic
  and exaggerated mental pictures that we hold
  about all members of a particular group. When we
  stereotype people based on race, sexual
  preference, or ethnicity we don't take into
  account individual differences.
• We may tend to ignore or discard any information
  that is not consistent with the stereotype that
  we have developed about the group.
• How might stereotyping a customer impact your
  interaction when gathering base record
  information?

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Gaining More Multicultural Awareness

• As we gain more awareness and knowledge about
  multicultural diversity, our stereotypes will
  lessen.
• If we learn about cultural diversity, we can
  appreciate our difference and improve our
  communication with our customers.
• In doing this, we work to create a society in
  which all cultures are valued, appreciated, and
  embraced.
• How might you expand your multicultural awareness?

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Effective Communication Skills

• FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE POWERFUL

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First Impressions

• First Impressions handbook is being used, which
  is designed to help human service agency workers
  achieve a high level of positive communication.
  
• Source http//www.rtcil.org/products/RTCIL20pub
  lications/Service20Provision/First20Impressions.
  pdf

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First Impressions

• Most agency personnel do our very best to treat
  customers courteously, whether we are clerical
  professionals, counselors, social workers or
  administrators. We use empathy, sincerity, and
  humor to help build a solid foundation for
  providing courteous service.
• Why do you believe this is important in our
  business?

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First Impressions Why is it Important?

• Earlier we talked about the attitudinal barriers
  that people with disabilities experience in
  society.
• If we treat consumers discourteously, they may
  believe our agency views disability in a negative
  way, which is not the case. By treating them
  with respect, we are reinforcing their value to
  society and the belief of the agency that people
  with disabilities CAN work!
• If we treat them with disrespect, the success of
  their VR program may be hindered.

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Professional Image

• You are one of the first professionals to have
  contact with potential VR customers, either over
  the telephone or in person. Having a
  professional image is essential. Your image is
  important when communication with customers over
  the telephone and in person.

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Professional Image Learning Experience

• Telephone Contact Scenario
• You are making a phone call to your physician to
  ask for a referral to a specialist because you
  have been having persistent back pain.
• What are the communication skills of the
  professional answering the phone at your
  physicians office that would be important to you
  as a consumer?
• How might his/her skills impact you as a consumer
  in both a positive and negative way?

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Professional Image Learning Experience

• These are communication skills of the
  professional that will impact a consumer, where
  it is over the phone or in person
• Professionalism
• Respectfulness
• Positive tone of voice
• Helpful Attitude
• Attentiveness/Active Listening Skills

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The Initial Contact with the Customer

• How you open a conversation with the customer
  sets the stage for the entire information
  gathering session.
• The goal is to help customers feel comfortable by
  communicating with a helpful and friendly
  attitude from the start.
• This helps the customers feel comfortable with
  the process and will impact their experience with
  the agency in the future.

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Starting Off Successfully Active Listening
Skills

• Good listening skills are very important to
  communicating in a positive way with customers.
  Listening validates the customer by showing that
  you are interested in what he/she is sharing.
• Active listening involves the following four
  nonverbal activities
• Assume an active listening posture.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Make nonverbal encouragements
• Make active listening facial expressions.
• Use a pleasant tone of voice.
• Active listening also involves verbal
  encouragements.

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Refocusing the Conversation

• Often times customers may provide many details
  and may go off topic.
• How might you refocus their attention to the
  questions at hand?

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Refocusing Statements

• Maintain your positive attitude, despite
  frustration you may be experiencing.
• When the consumer takes a break (or a breath),
  interject by saying
• I appreciate your situation
• I understand your concern
• Lets stop for a minute
• Id like to get more information from you about
  your education or whatever question you were
  on
• Completing the statements with
• and am sure your counselor will talk with you in
  greater detail when you meet

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Special Situations Learning Experience

• Communication techniques may vary depending on
  the customers disability. How would you handle
  situations with customers who
• Have a cognitive disability with difficulty
  reading and/or understanding information forms or
  instructions
• Using a computer to enter data
• speaking clearly
• has a visual disability
• has a hearing disability?

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Telephone Hostility

• Sometimes customers are frustrated and/or angry
  for a multitude of reasons dealing with
  bureaucracy, adjustment to disability issues,
  associated with a mental health disability, etc.
• Since you are not face to face, you do not face
  immediate threat this may allow you to feel
  less intimidated.
• Remember you have control over phone
  conversations, you are not expected to tolerate
  poor treatment or abuse from customers.
• You should tell the customer that you would like
  him/her to talk with someone who may be able to
  help.
• Place the person on hold and refer the call a
  supervisor or counselor.

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In Person Meetings Safety First!

• Ensure that the meeting room where you meet
  customers is safe
• Always advise the supervisor/counselor/receptionis
  t that you are meeting with a customer.
• He/she may want to check in with you, if it
  appears the meeting is running long.
• Room set up always have direct access to the
  door do not have the customer between you and
  the exit.

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In Person Meetings Safety First!

• Consider safety as bottom line always err on
  the side of safety
• If the customer starts making advances, is angry
  or aggressive, excuse yourself immediately and
  seek assistance from a supervisor or counselor.

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Learning Experience Role Playing

• Lets break into groups if three. You will each
  take a turn in three roles
• Clerical professional gathering the information
• Customer
• Observer
• Refer to the Professional Communication
  Practices Summary as a cheat sheet during all
  three roles.
• The observer will record comments (positives as
  well as constructive criticism) on the topics
  listed on the summary.

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Learning Experience Role Playing (contd)

• Typically the clerical professional will not have
  any background information on the customer. So
  during this learning experience only the customer
  and observer will receive a description of the
  customers role.
• Lets review the observer sheet, where you will
  record whether or not effective communication
  skills were present.
• We will take 5 to 10 minutes for each scenario.
  After each role play we will debrief as a group
  prior to moving to the next scenario.

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Professional Communication Practices Values,
Ethics Confidentiality

• Contact Information
• Joan Kester, CRC
• HRD Specialist
• Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Continuing
• Education Program
• The George Washington University
• 202-489-7112
• jkester_at_gwu.edu
• Website www.gwu.edu/rrcep

This information is the intellectual property of
the George Washington University and is to be
used for training purpose only.