Supporting Communication

Supporting communication

Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people

The Communication Hub promotes communication supports and services that are culturally safe and informed by the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Communication is always more than just words. Communication is shaped by culture, language, identity and shared meaning.

Communication barriers can happen when services do not acknowledge and respect diversity in languages, cultures, worldviews, and ways of communicating. This is often the case for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as mainstream services are constructed through a western lens that does not allow for diversity in language, culture or communication.

If there are also concerns about communication accessibility, those barriers and their impacts may be even greater.

It is therefore important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have access to culturally safe and responsive services. 

 

Gin-ow-ay Nambur 'To give, talk' (Gunnai Language) by Dixon Patten, Gunnai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara and Yuin tribes. © Copyright Speech Pathology Australia 2021

This artwork was commissioned by Speech Pathology Australia in developing its Reconciliation Action Plan. It depicts Indigenous and non-Indigenous people coming together, the pathways represent two-way learning and walking in reconciliation. The circles in the middle represent Speech Pathology Australia and the influence their RAP committee and actions will have on the broader community. The hands represent our ancestors guiding our journey. The leaves represent growing together. The various circles represent the diverse clans, tribes and communities across Australia. The small circles represent conversations, yarns, language and knowledge being shared.

Communication disability among First Nations people

Communication difficulties can happen to anyone, but some communication difficulties are more prevalent for First Nations people.

For example, First Nations children are more likely to experience middle ear infections and hearing loss leading to more language and early literacy problems. As well, the First Peoples Disability Network reports that 45% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a disability or long-term health condition. Some of these will impact communication ability.

First Nations people with communication difficulties expect to receive support services to meet their individual needs.

This includes thinking about cultural and language preferences when developing supports like communication aids and communication partner strategies. Cultural identity and preferences may also influence what types of communication supports are requested when applying for NDIS funding.

Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) provide primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These organisations came into being through the determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have power and control over their own social and emotional wellbeing.

Within Australia, there are over 140 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.

ACCHOs are controlled by the communities where they are situated. They are set up to respond to the needs of those communities. They focus on holistic, culturally safe, comprehensive services in which local engagement is a key component. More than half of ACCHO employees are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, creating a more culturally responsive and safe service for communities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can find their local ACCHO by visiting the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation map.

Mainstream services in Australia can and must ensure that Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations have representation at any discussion that involves the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes policy and advocacy discussions, round table events, funding decisions, and much more.

 

Responsibility to provide culturally safe services

Everyone has a responsibility for bringing reconciliation and cultural safety to the forefront of decision making and service delivery.

The Indigenous Allied Health Australia Cultural Responsiveness Framework provides practical actions for services and individuals. The framework is interactive and centres around what individuals need to know, be and do in order to be culturally responsive. The framework's website says, "Cultural responsiveness is what is needed to transform systems; how individuals work to deliver and maintain culturally safe and effective practice."

Services can also commit to evaluating their service design and service provision through the lens of how to be more culturally responsive.

This could include considering:

  • How many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people does our service currently employ?
  • How does our service acknowledge and overcome cultural bias in our recruitment and decision-making?
  • Does our service implement culturally sensitive policies and procedures in the workplace? E.g. Acknowledgement of country in meetings, correspondence, and events; leave allowances for culturally significant events; etc.
  • Does our service actively seek feedback from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on how we deliver our service? How does our service implement changes in response to that feedback?
  • Does our team access cultural awareness training regularly? How does our service implement the learning that arises through that training?
  • Does our service offer Aboriginal liaison services, or language translation services?
  • Where is our service on our Reconciliation Action Plan journey? How does our service continuously grow and learn in our cultural responsiveness?

There are sure to be other considerations relevant to each individual service, team, and community in Australia. Engaging an Aboriginal-led service to inform and support these considerations will ensure a holistic and culturally safe outcome for the service, employees, and those accessing the service.

Bronte

Wakka Wakka woman and speech pathologist

‘It takes time to be able to support people, to communicate in the way that they want. And it takes a lot of open-mindedness to not force our opinions of what communication is on others. It takes a lot of sitting there and asking yourself really hard questions of, is this what I want, or is this what they want, to be able to have their own opinions. And their own independence.’

Learn more

Disability in the bush resource

First Nations People with Disabilities Network  

Reconciliation Australia

Indigenous Allied Health Australia Cultural Responsiveness Framework 

Speech Pathology's Australia's Reconciliation Action Plan

See the artwork ‘Respectful Listening’ created by Wiradjuri Elder, artist, and disability advocate Paul Constable Calcott, depicting the story of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. Read more about the artwork at Disability Royal Commission Resources for First Nations people