We live in a community surrounded by visual information. There are many logos and symbols that are part of our daily environment. For instance, we all know and recognize the international symbol for physical access and other disability-related symbols for sensory impairment such as hearing loops, sign language and access for people with little or no vision.

There is however a group in the community that have been overlooked. These are people who have communication difficulties. By this we mean, people who cannot speak or who have speech that is difficult to understand. There is to date no symbol which represents whether a service is communication accessible for a person who cannot communicate using speech alone.

At the moment, the Communication Resource Centre (CRC) is trialing a symbol to indicate ‘communication accessible’. The aim is to promote a symbol which will ultimately be recognized by the general community throughout Victoria (and hopefully, Australia). The symbol will indicate that a service or retailer is welcoming to people with a communication disability and that the service or retailer may also have some communication aids to facilitate successful communication. They are therefore ‘communication accessible’ and will be open and ‘communication friendly’ towards all customers.

The aim is for the symbol for ‘communication accessible’ to sit alongside the international ‘physical access’ symbol. It creates a more inclusive concept of what it means to be accessible across all areas including:
• communication
• information and
• physical access

A symbol for communication access, like physical access, can identify services, tourist facilities and community events that comply with criteria for being communication accessible. However, a protocol is needed to support the development, testing and implementation of a new symbol.

The Australian Standard AS 2342-1992 document: Development, testing and implementation of information and safety symbols and symbolic signs, was used as a guide. This involves 3 major phases.

Phase 1: Developing at least 5 examples of the symbol
• Ten symbols which may represent the concept of’ ‘communication accessible’ have been developed

Phase 2: Testing the symbol
• The purpose is to identify which symbol is most frequently selected by a wide range of stakeholders to represent ‘communication accessible’. Data will be collected from a range of stakeholder groups.
• A strategy for carrying out the testing and recording of the results has been devised.
• A symbol test-pack has been produced

Phase 3: Publicizing and promoting the symbol
• The purpose of this stage is to inform all stakeholder groups, relevant services and agencies about the symbol, its meaning and standards that accompany it.

Currently, we are in Phase 2 of the process. We are interested in involving as many people as possible in the testing the symbol. Phase 3 of the project will begin some time in 2008.

For further information about the project, please contact the Communication Resource Centre.

Karen Bloomberg & Barbara Solarsh
Email: crc@scopevic.org.au
T: (03) 9843 2000
Website: www.scopevic.org.au