Communication Access to Businesses and Organizations for People with Complex Communication Needs

Abstract

Human rights legislation and anti-discrimination and accessibility laws exist in many countries and through international conventions and treaties. To varying degrees, these laws protect the rights of people with disabilities to full and equal access to goods and services. Yet, the accessibility requirements of people with complex communication needs (CCN) are not well represented in the existing accessibility literature. This article describes the results of surveys completed by disability service providers and individuals with CCN due to cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and acquired disabilities. It identifies accessibility requirements for people with CCN for face-to-face communication; comprehension of spoken language; telephone communication; text and print-based communication; Internet, email, and social media interactions; and written communication. Recommendations are made for communication accessibility accommodations in regulations, guidelines, and practices.

Keywords::

• Communication access
• Augmentative and alternative communication
• Human rights
• Disability
• Accessibility legislation

Acknowledgments

This project was conducted by Augmentative Communication Community Partnerships Canada and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program-Disability Component. The opinions and interpretations expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. This paper is partially based on a presentation by the first author at the 14th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Barcelona, Spain, 2010 and a keynote address in Australia at AGOSCI, 2011. The authors wish to thank Dr Pat Mirenda for her editorial assistance on this manuscript and all those who participated in the surveys and educational resources.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

Appendix A

Sample Interpretations of Actual or Implied Human Rights Principles for People with CCN

Table

Appendix B

Communication Access Tips for Businesses and Organizations

Some people who have speech or language disabilities may:

• Speak in a way that is hard for you to understand

• Communicate by providing yes and no answers to questions; using gestures; pointing to objects, pictures, or spelling out words on a board; or using a speech generating device

• Have difficulty understanding what you are saying

Like everyone, they have the legal right to fully access your goods and services. Here are some simple things you can do:

• Look at and speak directly to the person, not to the person who is with them

• Speak respectfully in a normal tone and volume

• Do not assume the person has difficulties understanding what you are saying unless you are told otherwise

• Allow more time for communication, do not rush the person

• Find a quite place to communicate without distractions

• If it is not obvious, ask the person to show you how he or she communicates

• Ask the person if there is anything you can do to help with communication

• If you have difficulty understanding, politely suggest that the person repeat the message, communicate it in a different way, or ask questions to which he or she can answer yes or no.

Depending on the type of work you do, ask the person if he or she has specific needs when:

• Communicating with you over the telephone

• Handling, reading and understanding your print and text materials

• Using your website and social media

• Completing your forms, taking notes or signing documents

• Participating at your meetings, conferences or public events