Speak Out December 2020

Branch News

South Australia

Sue Horton utilising the communication access resources at the City of Adelaide Customer Service Centre.

SA 890 members as at November 2020

Making communication accessible

How good would it be if the Communication Access symbol was as common as the wheel chair symbol! The Disability (Access to Premises -Buildings) Standards for Australia came into effect in 2010. In the United States it has been law for all federally owned buildings to be accessible to people with disabilities since 1968. However, there is no mandate to be communication accessible. Access to buildings is important but only if the person with a disability can participate in the services offered in the building. Speech pathologists have known this but the wider community have been slow to recognise entering the building is not the end goal. Scope Victoria are the pioneers for communication access and now Two Way Street in South Australia has become a project partner with Scope Victoria to roll out the Communication Access training to South Australian organisations. Their first customer was the City of Adelaide and that partnership resulted in the city winning the Community Based Innovation in Speech Pathology award from SPA at the 2020 AGM.

A visit to the City of Adelaide Customer Service Centre revealed the Communication Access symbol was proudly displayed on their front door. Inside a communication book was obvious on the front counter. In speaking with Judy Rowe, a customer service representative, it was obvious that the customer service staff are proud of their achievements in meeting the criteria for displaying the Communication Access symbol. They worked with Two Way Street and a person with a lived experience of communication difficulties to plan the staff training. Two weeks was spent observing interactions and reading written information to determine what staff could do differently to improve communication access. Judy particularly valued the insights from the person with a lived experience. Staff now are aware of and have access to a variety of tools, including the communication book, google translate, and the National Relay Service. They have found these tools helpful for customers who are deaf as well as those with English as a second language. They have easily accessible training materials for new staff and when existing staff need a refresher.

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Speak Out | December 2020