ERIC Number: EJ768745
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 11
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0271-8294
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Available Date: N/A
Development of a Communication Training Program to Improve Access to Legal Services for People with Complex Communication Needs
Togher, Leanne; Balandin, Susan; Young, Katherine; Given, Fiona; Canty, Michael
Topics in Language Disorders, v26 n3 p199-209 Jul-Sep 2006
People with communication disabilities experience problems in accessing the justice system. In this article we describe the development of a multimedia package designed to train legal personnel to identify and reduce communication barriers to their services. The training package is being developed collaboratively by a diverse team that included researchers, a clinician, legal personnel, and people who use augmentative and alternative communication. The focus of the training is to improve the knowledge and skills of legal personnel regarding how to communicate effectively with people who use augmentative and alternative communication, thus enabling greater access to the legal system for such individuals. In this article, development of training vignettes is described. The next step will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the training materials. Suggestions are offered for conducting this evaluation and future research in this important area.
Descriptors: Legal Aid, Justice, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Communication Disorders, Training Methods, Researchers, Health Personnel, Lawyers
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A