Wha
t 
is 
an 
Intellectual 
Disability? 


• 
A 
person 
is 
tested 
by 
a 
trained 
psychologist 
or 
other 
professional 
using 
a 
standard 
IQ 
test. 
• 
The 
person 
scores 
significantly 
below 
average 
on 
the 
IQ 
test. 
• 
Most 
people 
score 
around 
100 
on 
an 
IQ 
test. 
• 
People 
who 
have 
a 
score 
less 
than 
70 
will 
be 
assigned 
a 
label 
of 
“intellectual 
disability” 
(This 
is 
the 
preferred 
term 
nowadays)
. 

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
–

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

If 
You 
But 
Knew 
By 
Charlotte 
Goodman 
(at 
13)
, 
from 
the 
anthology 
InOurWords 


You 
don’t 
know 
me. 
You 
have 
me. 
You 
look 
at 
my 
grades. 
My 
aptitude 
tests. 
My 
IQ. 
You 
talk 
to 
other 
teachers 
About 
me 
and 
my 
sister 
and 
brother. 
And 
you 
have 
me 
PEGGED. 
I 
stop 
[at] 
the 
door. 



Establishin
g 
Rapport 


• 
Use 
first 
names 
and 
plain 
language 
• 
Make 
eye 
contact 
• 
Easy 
chatting 
to 
establish 
a 
connection 
• 
Let 
the 
person 
tell 
their 
story 
and 
lead 
the 
process 
• 
Don’t 
make 
assumptions 
• 
Let 
the 
person 
tell 
you 
or 
express 
to 
you 
what 
they 
want 
and 
need 

Establishing 
Rapport 


• 
Offer 
choices!!!!
! 
• 
Take 
your 
time 
• 
Provide 
the 
facts 
• 
Respect 
others’
p 
boundaries 
(including 
their 
wheelchairs) 


• 
Reflect 
feelings 
• 
Always 
be 
honest 
• 
Take 
breaks 

When 
Speaking, 
Consider: 


• 
Tone 
of 
voice 
• 
Who 
am 
I 
talking 
to? 
• 
Concrete 
words 
• 
Plain 
language 
• 
Learning 
styles 
• 
Explain 
unfamiliar 
words 
• 
Use 
the 
same 
word 
to 
describe 
the 
same 
thing 
• 
Ask 
“what, 
where, 
who, 
when, 
how” 
questions 
• 
If 
stuck, 
ask 
a 
multiple-
choice 
question 

• 
Sarcasm 
• 
Clichιs 
• 
Words 
that 
have 
more 
than 
one 
meaning 
• 
Jargon 
• 
Acronyms 
• 
Abstract 
words 
• 
Long 
sentences 
• 
Unnecessary 
words 
• 
Yes-or-no 
questions 
• 
Numbers, 
statistical 
data, 
and 
sequences 
• 
Negative 
contractions 

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
–
•
–
–
–
–

When 
You 
are 
Listening: 


•
•
•
•
•

•
••
•
•
•

•
•
•
•

•
–

• 
• 



•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Blue 
Tower 
Training 
Center 
(BTTC) 
is 
a 
division 
of 
Macon 
Resources, 
Inc. 
(MRI) 
which 
provides 
training, 
consultation, 
training 
materials 
and 
resources 
on 
a 
national 
as 
well 
as 
international 
basis. 


Discover 
The 
Power 
of 
P.E.E.
R 


Passion. 
Equality. 
Empowerment. 
Respect 


Learn 
more 
about 
BTTC 
by 
logging 
on 
to 


www.maconresources.org/bluetower/default.aspx