Hello everyone, It’s your old article provider Drew Russell again, and I’m here to talk about the up and coming disability action week for this year from November 24th to December 1st
As some of you may know this year’s Disability Action Week theme is ‘Accessible Communication’
I would like to explore different ways communication has evolved.
Braille
Created by French educator Louis Braille, who in his youth lost his vision, but did not dissuade his education as he succeeded in many areas as he attended the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Braille was inspired by an inventor named Charles Barbier who had invented a system called “sonography” to help soldiers at war communicate with one another.
Braille tried to improve this system to help other people who have little or no vision to read and write quickly and efficiently.
It wasn’t till after his death though that the system he had created began to be used in many circles, till it eventually became seen as a revolutionary device that was then named after its inventor.
Since then Braille has been used in many areas to help people to read and write. This said not all blind people can read braille, it’s important to highlight that there are many forms of braille to encounter and different degrees and grades that further advance the use of braille.
Auslan
Auslan (Australian Sign Language) Auslan was not created by any single person, but was instead something that evolved from other forms of sign language, most specifically ISL (Irish sign language) and BSL (British sign language). Auslan isn’t just used by people who are deaf but is used to communicate with friends and family who are deaf.
There are 300 known sign languages to accommodate as many people as possible. And there are plenty within our own culture in Australia including many for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Sign language uses body language and expression to truly convey meaning that is already in use with spoken language, but is conveyed in many more detailed ways with sign language.
There are many benefits to learning Auslan but a limited number of active interpreters in employment areas. So it could be good to start a course in Auslan to find a career in helping people interpret one another better.
PEC Cards
Pec Cards (Picture Exchange Communications System) are cards that use picture symbols to develop speech. They were developed in 1984 by husband and wife Andy Body, PHD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP. They were initially designed to help teach children with Autism and are now used by many people for a lot of different reasons.
PECS help the person who uses the cards, and also their family and friends.
As helpful as PECS are, there has been controversy about the way PECS are used. There is a concern that sometimes they are used for request making or reward/punishment of behaviour.
AAC (Augmentative and alternative communication) is also available within many assistive technologies for communication platforms such as Tobii Dynavox.
As helpful as these three ways of communication are, everything eventually comes down to the person and their circumstances. It’s important to try different options to help people to be able to communicate.
We are all social creatures who are at our best when we work with our minds and hearts to better help one another grow and give support to find purpose in our life journeys.
“We must be treated as equals – and communication is the way we can bring this about.” Louis Braille