Communication Access and its role within Universal Access Design

27/11/2024 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Australia/Sydney $66 member price, $82.50 non-member price CPD Points - 2 Number of Hours - 2

About Event

Jacob Matthew, Scope’s Communication Access Consultant and Director of Domatic Access Pty Ltd, alongside Sarita Slater, Speech Pathologist and Coordinator at Scope’s Communication Access, present Communication Access and its role within Universal Access Design.

Approximately 1.2 million Australians will have a communication difficulty within their lifetime. Individuals may experience difficulties using their speech to communicate and some may also experience barriers in understanding everyday spoken language or written communication. People who experience communication difficulty can face exclusion in their communities. Organisations that create Communication Accessible environments ensure that everyone is able to access essential goods and services to participate fully in their society.

Since 2011, Scope has worked with over 150 organisations across Australia to award the internationally recognised and trademarked Communication Access Symbol. You can find more information on their Communication Access Service on their website.

In this session, Jacob and Sarita will introduce Communication Access, as well as discuss its application to Universal Access and current legislation. They will highlight case studies from organisations that have taken a lead role in ensuring their services are Communication Accessible and describe the role that Access Consultants can take in raising awareness of Communication Access.

About the Speaker

Jacob Matthew

Director

Jacob Matthew lives with Cerebral Palsy and, as a result, has communication difficulty. He has worked on a number of Scope’s Communication Access initiatives since 2018 and he now works as a consultant- on major national and strategic projects. He is a member of the International Communication Rights Alliance, where he recently presented to the United Nations Conventional for Persons with Disability. Furthermore, Jacob has had a keen interest in Architecture from a young age, which led him to gain his Diploma in Access Consulting. He is passionate about Universal Access and brings his life experiences, as well as his formal training work experience, to this work.

Sarita Slater

Sarita Slater is a Speech Pathologist and Communication Access Coordinator at Scope’s Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre. Sarita supports businesses Australia wide to become accredited with the Communication Access Symbol. Sarita is passionate about building community awareness of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and integrating Communication Access as a fundamental element to access and inclusion planning.

Scope Australia is one of the largest not-for-profit disability providers of services to over 8000 people with a disability nationally, with over 350 sites. Scope is the largest employer of people with communication disability nationally as access consultants and educators. Our mission is to enable each person we support to live as an equal and empowered citizen. Scope’s vision is to inspire and lead change to deliver best practices and better outcomes.

Domatic Access Pty Ltd are Disability Access Consultants that offer a wide range of tailored services to meet our client’s expectations and requirements throughout Melbourne and Victoria. We are dedicated to delivering access to everyone. Our guiding principle is that access shouldn’t be viewed only as a legal requirement, as it enables people with all disabilities to go about their lives with minimal barriers.