EMPLOYMENT and Learning Minister Stephen Farry signed up to the Universal Declaration of Communication Rights at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ (RCSLT) Outcomes Conference in Belfast recently.
By signing the public pledge of support the minister joined RCSLT members and special guests in recognising that the ability to communicate is a basic human right and that everyone has the potential to communicate.
Anne Gamble from RCSLT said: “Communication is the most fundamental of human capacities. People need to be able to communicate to fulfil their social, educational, emotional and vocational potential.
“Speech and language therapists work with adults, children and young people to support their speech, language and communication needs enabling them to reach their full potential. Studies show speech, language and communication needs are a core barrier to accessing further education, training and employment opportunities.
“Workplace environments need to make reasonable adjustments for people with communication support needs as they do for others with physical and sensory disabilities.”
Mr Farry said: “I commend RCSLT on their efforts in raising awareness of the importance of communication. This should lead to better outcomes for many people from right across our society. My department offers a range of services and programmes, such as the Essential Skills programme, to support the needs of people with barriers — including those with communication difficulties.
“Essential Skills can play a vital role in Northern Ireland in helping people overcome their communications barriers to reengage in their personal development and offers all learners recognised qualifications in literacy, numeracy and ICT. To date, over 109,000 people have achieved almost 208,000 Essential Skills qualifications.”
The RCSLT is the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK with more than 15,000 members. It is responsible for setting, promoting and maintaining high standards in education, clinical practice and ethical conduct. Find out more about the RCSLT at www.rcslt.org