communication bill of rights

I haven't talked about my day job in a while --what with NaNoWriMo, current events, and such. Maybe I'll delve into that today?

My day job is going very well at the moment. This was not the case a year ago, but what a difference a year makes. What changed? Two things: me & the job. The job is still the same: I work with kids with disabilities, helping them develop their communication skills. The difference this year is I'm responsible for a little over half as many children as last year, but with access to as many resources. All of those things I've been wanting to do? I can actually get to some of them this year. It feels more like a challenge and less like a Sisyphean task. It's not fair to anyone involved when it feels like a task --they're human beings. I like the idea that I can be fair and treat them less like a box to tick off and more like individuals with likes, dislikes, and different learning needs.

And me? I understand more. For those of you unfamiliar with it, this is the Communication Bill of Rights (yes, it's a thing):

All people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence. Beyond this general right, a number of specific communication rights should be ensured in all daily interactions and interventions involving persons who have severe disabilities. To participate fully in communication interactions, each person has these fundamental communication rights:

1. The right to interact socially, maintain social closeness, and build relationships
2. The right to request desired objects, actions, events, and people
3. The right to refuse or reject undesired objects, actions, events, or choices
4. The right to express personal preferences and feelings
5. The right to make choices from meaningful alternatives
6. The right to make comments and share opinions
7. The right to ask for and give information, including information about changes in routine and environment
8. The right to be informed about people and events in one’s life
9. The right to access interventions and supports that improve communication
10. The right to have communication acts acknowledged and responded to even when the desired outcome cannot be realized
11. The right to have access to functioning AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) and other AT (assistive technology) services and devices at all times
12. The right to access environmental contexts, interactions, and opportunities that promote participation as full communication partners with other people, including peers
13. The right to be treated with dignity and addressed with respect and courtesy
14. The right to be addressed directly and not be spoken for or talked about in the third
    person while present
15. The right to have clear, meaningful, and culturally and linguistically appropriate communications 

 

It's written specifically for people with severe disabilities and communication difficulties, but if you think about it, it's about all of us. I've been thinking about that a lot lately, about the importance of being able to interact with others and feel safe and respected. We are all autonomous beings, and we all have something in us that is unique and distinct. Looking at the Communication Bill of Rights this morning, as I get ready to start my NaNoWriMo writing for the day, I am particularly struck by Communication Right Number 11. For a person who cannot speak, the AAC device is their voice. It is incredibly important to allow people access to their voices. I understand more and more what an honor it is to be able to help people learn to use their voices to say whatever it is they feel they need to say. Everyone has a voice --some are louder than others, but everyone has a right to be heard.

Have a good day today and don't forget to use your voice however you see fit. It's your right.