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needs were supported to deliver statewide forums on creating communication friendly environments. These are environments where people will: • treat them with dignity and respect • talk directly to them and not the person with them • give them time to get their message across • listen to their message • be willing to use other methods of communicating. Now in 2012 the Communication Access Network, in partnership with people with communication difficulties, will be working to promote the Communication Access Symbol and the concept of communication access across Victoria. Please visit the Scope website to see how you can make your service or facility communication accessible. www.scopevic.org.au

concept of a communication friendly state. There have been over 50 projects implemented statewide. It started with the “Libraries for all” project done in partnership with the State Library Network and VicNet. The State Library Network represents all public libraries across the state, and VicNet is a division of the State Library Network. VicNet helps the library to meet its goal of providing access to information for everyone and strengthening communities through the use of information technology. The “Libraries for all” project placed communication aids in all 262 public libraries. After these developments came a series of projects with the theme of “Good Communication is Good Business”. These involved partnerships with retailers such as Centro, Westfield, Stockland, and other smaller shops and cafes. In these projects, shops and services were provided with communication aids and tip sheets for serving customers with little or no speech. The Inclusive Leisure Initiative involved engaging gyms and aquatic centres in communication access. Communication aids were again provided, but disability awareness training was also included, co-presented by people with complex communication needs. Two transport initiatives were Talking taxis – providing communication aids to all M50 cabs (M50 cabs are the modified cabs able to carry passengers who use wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility aids) – and Talking Transport, which makes bus travel in the Gippsland region accessible. The Talking Transport project involved developing a photo-based bus timetable. Each bus stop was represented by a photo or logo of a landmark unique to that stop. This allowed people with limited literacy to travel independently (http://www.wellington.vic.gov.au/ Page/page.asp?Page_Id=2001&h=1). Resources for Talking Transport and Inclusive Leisure may be found on the Wellington Shire website (http://www.wellington.vic.gov. au/). As the work of the CAN has progressed there has been an evolution in the involvement of people with complex communication needs. Some early projects just focused on community awareness and information about complex communication needs and communication access. For example, CAN produced fact sheets about complex communication needs and developed posters highlighting some of the projects mentioned earlier. Better planning of projects has led to more consultation with people with complex communication needs, with focus groups and surveys allowing us to better identify needs. Such developments have informed the direction of CAN and many projects now include people with complex communication needs on advisory groups and co- presenting workshops. Working alongside people with complex communication needs and the challenges of creating sustainable communication environments highlighted the need for a common symbol to identify communication access. The symbol was ratified through a statewide consultative process which followed the Australian Standard AS 2342-1992 guide (Standards Australia, 1992). After much collaboration, the Communication Access Symbol was launched in Victoria on 17 November 2011. People with complex communication needs were instrumental in developing the criteria which define communication access. And in 2011 people with complex communication

References Beukelman, D. R. & Mirenda, P. (2005). Augmentative and alternative communication: Supporting children and adults with complex communication needs . Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Bloomberg, K., West, D., & Johnson, H. (2004). InterAACtion: Strategies for intentional and unintentional communicators . Communication Resource Centre: Scope, Victoria. Bloomberg, K., West, D., Johnson, H., & Iacono, T. (2009). Triple C: Checklist of Communication Competencies . Melbourne, Victoria: Communication Resource Centre. Caithness, T., Brownlie, E., & Bloomberg, K. (2012). Getting started with Key Word Sign . Key Word Sign Australia, Callaghan, NSW: University of Newcastle. Communication Access Network (2010). Communication Access Network Guidelines 2010 . Unpublished document. Disability Services Division, (2002). The Victoria state disability plan 2002–2012 . Melbourne Department of Human Services, Victorian Government. www.dhs.vic.gov. au Standards Australia. (1992). Development, testing and implementation of information and safety symbols and symbolic signs AS 2342-1992 . Standards Australia International Ltd: Sydney.

Correspondence to: Karen Bloomberg Consultant speech pathologist

Communication Resource Centre, Scopt 830 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, VIC 3128 phone: +61 (0)3 9843 2000 email: kbloomberg.crc@scopevic.org.au

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 2 2012

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