What is it about?
This study explores whether people with aphasia (PWA) and speakers of English as an additional language (EAL) report any commonalties when communicating in service interactions. Providing accessible communication environments for people with a range of communication support needs (CSN) is increasingly recognised as a Human Right. However, in Australia this has yet to translate into legislation which may be partly due to the relatively small numbers of people if CSN only considers people with a communication disability . It is estimated that up to 20% of the population may have communication support needs at some point of their lives - especially if we consider those from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background (CALD) which significantly increases the size of the cohort that may benefit from communication access legislation. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with five PWA and five EAL speakers about their experiences within service interactions. The study explored the key features which were perceived as enabling or constraining communication access. The results consider the connections between communication access, social capital and social inclusion and whether a larger group of people may benefit from policy which recognises and promotes communication access.
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Why is it important?
The results of this study suggests that two very different groups of people, one with an acquired disability and the other functioning outside the realms of disability, experience some similarities in how they are heard within public service interactions. Although this study only focused on a small cohort, notwithstanding this limitation, the results appear to support the suggestion that a wider cohort of people could potentially benefit significantly from policy development which recognises the centrality of communication access for social integration and well-being.
Perspectives
When I embarked on this project I had no idea how personally I would draw from the stories of resilience reported by the people I spoke to. Only three years earlier I had migrated from Scotland to live with my family in Australia. Although I have extensive experience working with people with aphasia, the narratives of the EAL speakers also struck a chord with me. Even though English is my first language, speaking with a Scottish accent and the responses of some of my communication partners has given me a small glimpse of their lived experiences. This study is unique in its attempt to explore whether there is any foundation to anecdotal information that communication access principles which support people with aphasia (PWA) also facilitate access and inclusion for EAL speakers.
Susan Booth
Edith Cowan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Communication access: is there some common ground between the experiences of people with aphasia and speakers of English as an additional language?, Aphasiology, September 2018, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2018.1512078.
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