CSD Accompaniment Training 2012

General Information As the person trained in accompaniment, you should also know the accessibility measures in place for your Federated Body or 101 Week group. This means knowing accessible ways to participate in physically engaging activities such as messy days, knowing where accessible washrooms and elevators are, and knowing which alternative events are in place for wet or physically inaccessible events. Please talk to your VP social about this. Accompaniment is a type of support used to get someone from Point A to Point B. This could be an accommodation for a person with a visual impairment, a person who gets disoriented easily, a person living with chronic pain, a recently injured person who is not used to using a mobility device such as crutches or a wheelchair, or for any other reason. Federated Body executives should make sure they announce the names of the people trained in accompaniment to the 101ers throughout the week and at kit sales not only to 101ers who request accompaniment. Names should be announced so that when accompaniers introduce themselves to the 101ers who have requested accompaniment, 101ers know that they are with the correct people. When a person asks for accompaniment, make sure to ask if they have any specific needs, including which gender they would prefer to be accompanied by. If their needs are difficult to accommodate, please inform your executive, and feel free to get in touch with CSD for help. Doing Accompaniment Introductions 1. Introduce yourself by name to the person even if you have already met several times and ensure that they are comfortable with you accompanying them. 2. Ask which side they prefer to be accompanied on. This opens up the conversation of if they have any other preferences.

3. Ask if you can touch them before you do. 4. Make sure you know where they want to go, and that when you get to your destination, you let them know where you are (to make sure you got them to the right place). Doing Accompaniment 1. Make sure the person is holding your elbow so that they have control over letting go of you if they want to. 2. Your elbow should be at a 90 angle and should be held tightly against your body. 3. You should be standing in front of the person (not beside them) so that you are about one and a half (1) people wide (the width doesnt matter, just that you are not side by side). This ensures that you will see whats in their path because it will be in your path as well. 4. If they are taller than you, lift your elbow back behind you (still close to your body) so that they can take longer strides. If they are shorter than you, they may want to hold your forearm. 5. Tell the person before you start or stop walking. 6. Make sure that the pace is okay with them. Ask if they want to slow down or speed up. 7. If you are in a very narrow or crowded place, they may want to walk directly behind you and hold your lower back. Make sure that if you are doing this you are communicating very clearly and that the person you are accompanying is comfortable with this. 8. Describe your surroundings to the person, especially changes in the floor (texture or slope), changes in lighting (and the reason for those changes), and major things that are happening around you such as loud noises or unusual crowds. You can also ask the person how much they would like you to describe. 9. Tell the person when you are entering a new room or building. This will help explain lighting changes and also help to orient them by telling them what progress has been made. 10. Use automatic door openers wherever possible.

11. Dont forget to chat with the person! It is important that they trust you and feel comfortable with you. Chatting is also a way to pass the time, and an opportunity to encourage the person to get involved. Remember that safety is most important, and you should always interrupt the conversation to mention an obstacle or the fact that you are starting walking or stopping. Post Accompaniment 1. When you are leaving a person you have been accompanying, make sure to orient them in the room. Take them to a wall or chair and either ask to touch their hand so you can physically show them the object, or bring them very close to the object so that when they reach out they can touch it. Let them know if they are in the middle of the room, a corner, etc. Also let them know approximately how many people are in the room. 2. Ask if there is anything else the person needs such as directions to another place or information about future 101 Week events before you leave.