Support persons

Who is a support person?

  • A support person is someone either hired or chosen to help a person with a disability, and can be a:
    • personal support worker
    • volunteer
    • family member
    • friend of person with disability.
  • Support persons may provide one or more types of assistance, such as:
    • Guiding person with vision loss
    • Interpretation, e.g. American Sign Language (ASL)/English interpreter
    • Personal care assistant
    • Support person in event of seizure

Commitment and responsibilities

  • We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities accompanied by support person
  • Any person accompanied by support person allowed to enter Waterloo Library's premises with his or her support person
  • At no time will person with disability accompanied by support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on our premises

How to interact

  • Speak to and look directly at person with disability, even though message coming from support person
  • Person with disability may not always introduce his or her support person; if unsure, appropriate to ask, "Is this your support person?"

Procedures

  • Events requiring registration
    • only user attending event required to register
      • Support persons not counted as part of attendance
  • Plan for the presence of support persons. e.g.:
    • help facilitate interpreting process by reserving seats for persons who are deaf, and allocating space near presenters for interpreters
  • Where possible, provide written materials both to person with disability and support person

Resources