SCIE Practice guide 11: The participation of adult service users, including older people, in developing social care
Practice - People with a communication impairment
When [social work assistant] came for my review,
he couldn’t read my communication board well,
so I finished the answers off on my computer for
him. He never brought a full report with him, so
I don’t know what he put about me on the form.
When I complained to the social care offices, his
line manager backed their worker up.…I am
still waiting to see my review papers.
(Service user)
- Many systems for consultation privilege people who are able to communicate without any difficulties. Loop systems, signers, and communicating through a support worker are some examples of some technical solutions for people with communication impairments.
- Some people prefer to communicate directly themselves. SCOPE has produced a guide written by people with communication impairments for support workers and personal assistants but the guide has a wider relevance for anyone communicating with a person with a communication impairment (Abel et al., 2002).
- The service
users thought that it was important to have:
- Someone who gets to know us well.
- Someone who is respectful.
- Someone who recognises that it is our right to communicate, and that they are responsible for facilitating that right.
- Someone
who looks at the skills we already have.
(Abel et al., 2002, pp 10-13)
