Communication A Human Right

Communication is a human right

The role of law and policy

Everyone has the right to communicate, which means everyone has the right to communicate in a variety of different ways that work for them.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities says:

People with disability have the right to express themselves, including the freedom to give and receive information and ideas through all forms of communication, including through accessible formats and technologies, sign languages, Braille, augmentative and alternative communication, mass media and all other accessible means of communication. (Article 21)

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Australian laws

Australian and State laws require government services, businesses, organisations, and other service providers to be accessible and inclusive.

Being ‘accessible and inclusive’ means making changes to support the way that someone communicates. It also means removing physical and social barriers that might limit someone communicating.

These laws reflect that communication access is vital for participating in society.

An important law is the Disability Discrimination Act which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. This includes people with difficulty communicating.

Disability discrimination happens when someone is not treated the same as others or not given the same opportunities as other people because of their disability.

Government policy

The Australian National Disability Strategy is a national commitment to an inclusive and accessible society.

This strategy ensures people with disability can:

  • maximise their potential
  • have the same opportunities as people without disability
  • participate in everyday activities
  • access the information and resources they want and need.

Unfortunately, Australia still has a long way to go until our society is truly accessible and inclusive for people with communication difficulties.

Ensuring people with communication difficulties have the same opportunities as others may requires services, businesses and organisations to change.

Services, businesses and organisations

Small changes by services, businesses, and organisations help to ensure they meet the requirements of Australian law and policy.

Services, businesses and organisations can:

  • acknowledge and welcome people who communicate in different ways
  • treat people with communication disability with respect
  • talk directly to the person with disability (not just to their companion)
  • give each person time to get their message across or to understand listening to people
  • use the necessary additional ways of communicating
  • make sure their website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  • have information and resources available in accessible formats like Easy English or having captions on videos.

The Communication Access Symbol Read about the Communication Access Symbol developed by Scope which is an important initiative in improving communication access for all.

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Learn more

Human Rights Commission – Disability Rights

Federal Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992 The DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person, because of their disability. This includes communication disability.

State and territory disability laws