An office tool can be a worksheet, visual agenda, reminder card, or communication aid. Its usefulness depends on the person and task. Review one tool with attention to what it asks the person to see, read, hear, remember, write, or disclose.
How to use this page
Choose one existing tool and one intended use. Use deidentified feedback to identify a practical adaptation and a way to check it.
Look beyond appearance
Check the wording, reading demand, visual contrast, physical handling, and communication format. Ask the person which barrier matters rather than assuming that one version works for everyone. Offer an alternative when the tool is unnecessary or inaccessible.
Try it with permission
Explain the purpose and invite a brief trial, discussion, or refusal. Check what the person understood and whether the tool supported the actual task. Remove unnecessary identifying details and clarify how any completed material will be handled.
Reflection prompts
Use these questions in conversation, on paper, or in the downloaded PDF. You may adapt or skip a prompt.
Which tool am I reviewing, and what specific task should it support?
What demand or barrier could make this tool difficult for the intended person?
What adaptation or alternative will I offer, and how will the person choose?
What feedback will tell us whether to keep, revise, or stop using it?
Facilitator notes and adaptation
Distinguish educational aids from validated measures. Changing a standardized instrument may affect interpretation and permission requirements. Follow appropriate privacy and recordkeeping procedures. Do not treat refusal or difficulty completing a form as evidence of poor motivation, literacy, insight, or decision-making capacity.
Sources behind the concepts
These sources inform the concepts in this original resource. They do not validate or endorse this specific page.
Professional ethics resources for consent, confidentiality, collaboration, documentation, supervision, and consultation. Check the current applicable code, licensing board rules, law, and organizational requirements.