Communication Rights Australia is a not-for-profit agency funded through the Victorian Department of Human Services.
We are a human rights advocacy and information service for people with little or no speech.
We respond to people with little or no speech who have had their rights infringed or believe they have not been heard.
We provide information to help protect people's rights and access the supports they need for a quality life in the community.
We increase community awareness and understanding through publicising the issues and barriers associated with communication difficulties.
Those with little or no speech
Communication Rights Australia is accessible to anyone fitting any or a combination of the above dependent on the following:
The communication impairment affects expression and, therefore, the individual’s ability to be understood by others (this does not include people with a language barrier such as non-English speaking background (NESB)
Communication is an act most of us take for granted every day. Communication is an act between a carrier and a receiver, generally someone speaking and the other person listening.Communication is a complex process that relies on appropriate language selection (e.g. word use and sentence structure), word and sound articulation (the movements of the throat, jaw, mouth and tongue) to produce speech, fluency (the rhythm of speech), voice, and pragmatics (using appropriate language and gesture given the audience).
After research and discussion of various terms, such as communication disability, impairment, disorder, dysfunction, and complex communication needs, Communication Rights Australia has decided to retain 'those with little or no speech' as the definition for service eligibility.
Those with little or no speech includes people with impairment in the following areas of communication:
- Expressive language
- Speech
- Pragmatics
- Fluency
- Voice
Communication Rights Australia's services are subject to an intake process which is considered on a case-by-case basis. If a person is found to be ineligible to our services a more appropriate, alternate service will be recommended.
