Independent Banker - September 2022 - 37

that have to do with ... the way credit
scores are calculated. "
Another barrier is that some
people with disabilities may feel
stigmatized when entering a bank
branch, according to Southeast ADA
Center research. Comments from
the study's participants include:
" The banker spoke to my dad
instead of talking to me. It was like I
wasn't even there. I was a nobody. "
" They talk over me while I am in
my wheelchair. They literally do
not address me. " " I have a learning
disability that affects math ability. I
often feel like people in the banking
industry think I'm stupid. "
" In order to address the needs of
people with disabilities and ensure
they have the opportunity to benefit
from the valuable services banks
provide, says Whaley, " banks need
to address the affordability of their
services and their disability access-
both physical and attitudinal. "
Feeling welcome
David Whalen, founder of Disability
Awareness Training in Williamsville,
N.Y., covers all disabilities in his
employee etiquette training-
sensory, physical, cognitive,
intellectual and developmental
disabilities, traumatic brain injury,
ADHD/learning disabilities and
mental health disorders.
" Everyone needs disability
awareness training, because
discrimination against people with
disabilities-ableism-is rampant,
however unintentional it may be, "
Whalen says. " First and foremost,
respect a person for who they
are, not for what they are. That
starts with using proper language:
People-first language should be
incorporated when interacting,
except in the cases where identityfirst
language supersedes it. "
Much of the etiquette is disabilityspecific,
he says. For someone who
uses a wheelchair, be at eye level.
Have patience with a person who
has a speech disability.
" If a person with a disability
becomes inhibited, they may get
flustered and lose concentration, "
Whalen says. " They may have come
in to apply for a loan, but then they
become more concerned with how the
bank staff is interacting with them. "
His training also includes
dispelling the misconception that
people with disabilities can't do
something independently, so they
should have an aide to help them.
" Misconception of a disability
is generally negative, when, in
fact, it is a natural part of human
existence: They must not be able to
work, so how can they pay back any
loan? That's ableism at its worst,
as many people with disabilities
live independently and work
successfully, " Whalen says.
BIG STAT
16.2%
of Americans living with
disabilities are unbanked
Source: FDIC
The role of disability
awareness training
Given that one in four U.S. adults
has a disability, disability awareness
training can benefit frontline bank
employees, says Leslie Wilson,
executive vice president, Global
Workplace Initiatives, Disability:IN
in Alexandria, Va. " As a customer,
imagine how refreshing it would
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Independent Banker - September 2022

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