Communication Training Programs for Public Agencies and Everyday Communication Partners: An Overview

Abstract

In social models of disability, communication partners are recognized as important potential contributors to communication participation for people with communication disability. In this paper we provide an overview of two communication partner training programs designed to facilitate the interactions of people with communication disability. The first program was developed to enhance the communication skills of law and justice personnel and thus facilitate equal access to legal services for people with communication disabilities. The second program focuses on training everyday communication partners to converse with their relative or friend with a brain injury. Although both programs vary according to their aims and content, they are similar in their underlying goal of enabling people with communication disability to successfully reintegrate into the community. As it is often the communication partner who determines the success or otherwise of an interaction with people with communication disability, it is critical to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to maximize each communication opportunity that arises. Training programs such as those described in this paper begin to address this challenge by providing information, skills and confidence in dealing with people with communication disability.