Creating communication accessible communities: sharing our innovative work at national AGOSCI conference

Communication Champions

Liz Weston, Co-ordinator of Non-Electronic Aids (NECAS) and Speech Pathologist

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has the power to give every client the opportunity to communicate and participate. CIRC has trained a community of passionate disability support workers across Scope's day and lifestyle programs and supported them to implement the communication aids best suited to the clients they support.

Building Employer Confidence

Jacob Matthew, Communication Access Assessor

Many employers told us they don’t know how to recruit and retain employees with communication disability and low literacy. The resources being developed as part of this project will provide employers with the knowledge and confidence to support people with communication access requirements across the employment life cycle, while changing perceptions and increasing job opportunities.

Communicate and Connect

Bronwen Jones, Speech Pathologist

During the COVID-19 pandemic, communication resources and training packs were implemented in Scope's Supported Independent Living (SIL) homes to promote meaningful interactions between disability support workers and clients. Communicate and Connect builds on this success and supports employees and clients to create strong visual and sign environments in our SIL homes.

Play and Chat

Sarah Mitchell, Speech Pathologist

People with communication disabilities can face challenges communicating during play that limit their participation. We’ve designed a suite of communication tools for parks and play spaces, such as communication boards, and partnered with local councils, schools, and landscape developers to have them installed in recreational spaces across Australia.

Be Safe Online

Katie Lyon, Acting General Manager of CIRC

Young people with communication disability and low literacy are at higher risk of experiencing online abuse and scams. These resources, developed with the eSafety Commissioner, are designed to support them to access the internet safely while also empowering parents, guardians, and carers to have meaningful conversations about online safety.

Discovery of Communication Access at Victorian Libraries

Nora Halpin, Speech Pathologist

Communication access is key to ensuring that libraries and the vital services they provide are accessible to everyone in the community. We’ve partnered with State Library Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria to improve communication access, and a discovery phase has been completed to better understand the communication access requirements.

Key Word Sign and Gesture

Leigha Dark, Key Word Sign Australia National Coordinator

Key Word Sign and Gesture are commonly used together as a form of communication. This paper explored how this strategy can promote language and learning through embodied action, and provides practical examples for parents, family members, educators, and allied health professionals.

Best Care for People with Communication Disability

Katie Lyon, Acting General Manager CIRC National Services

Everyone should be able to make their own healthcare decisions and understand the information presented to them in a healthcare setting. This suite of training resources, co-designed by people with disability, enhances communication between health professionals and patients during medical emergencies.

Meredith Allan won a national award for her commitment to low tech and unaided AAC.

In other highlights, Meredith Allan was awarded the AGOSCI/Key Word Sign Australia Karen Bloomberg Award for her outstanding commitment to supporting low tech and unaided AAC in Australia.

Meredith works in CIRC’S communication access team as an assessor and educator for mainstream businesses and services. She is a lifelong advocate with lived experience of communication disability and uses Key Word Sign as a communication strategy in her daily interactions.

“This award is highly emotional for me for two reasons. I have many memories and achievements with Karen and the last time I saw her we relived some of these and laughed,” said Meredith. 

“The second reason is because it was given for my commitment to Key Word Sign and advocating for non-electronic communication. If people who use AAC are to fulfil the challenges of having a communication system with them all day every day, Key Word Sign helps meet that need.

Karen Bloomberg was a pioneering speech pathologist and founding member of AGOSCI who was passionate about improving communication access for people with complex communication needs.

Meredith also presented on a panel about the ethics of AAC systems and was part of a presentation about co-designing a Master of Speech Pathology with people with disability.