Victorian Developed - New Universal Symbol for Communication Access

Designed and developed by a team of Victorians led by Scope, a new symbol will join other universal symbols across the globe in providing instant recognition of businesses and facilities which provide access for people with a disability. 

Over five years in the making, the Communication Access symbol will be awarded to those businesses and services that successfully complete a Communication Accessibility Assessment and demonstrate their preparedness to work with people who have a communication disability and communicate in ways other than speech.

One in every 500 Victorians struggles with speech on a daily basis and needs support for successful communication - unable to speak but with plenty to say, these people now have their own symbol to identify shops and services that are communication friendly.

Scope’s Communication Resource Centre has driven the development of the symbol to represent Communication Access. Scope’s vision for the symbol is to create communities that are universally accessible.

“We are starting with Victoria,” Denise West, Scope’s Communication Resource Centre Manager said.  “We will then take it to Australia and then we will introduce it internationally.”

“Our aim is to have wide ranging evidence of communication accessible services and organisations and a proliferation of the symbol, so that it becomes widely recognised.  When that happens there will be recognition of the communication access needs of people who do not use speech but communicate in many different ways.”

“Communication Access is a right not a privilege. If you cannot communicate using speech you are at risk of being isolated and marginalised. Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability; the Communication Access Symbol highlights to the community the importance of being communication accessible.”

The Communication Access Symbol will be displayed at places and services in the community that meet specific criteria for communication access. When people see this symbol, they will know that the place or service is communication accessible.

For further information on the Communication Access Symbol please contact Scope’s Communication Resource Centre on (03) 9843 2000 or e-mail crc@scopevic.org.au.

Available for interview:

• Denise West, Scope’s Communication Resource Centre Manager 
• Hank Wylie lives with a communication difficulty and has been involved in development of the Communication Access Symbol

For media enquires please contact:

Anna Kirby
PR Consultant to Scope
0409 484 894
akirby@rovercommunications.com.au

Darren Saffin
PR Consultant to Scope
0411 089 209
darren@djscommunications.com.au

Rachel Palmer
Scope Victoria
0457 757 206
rpalmer@scopevic.org.au