Speech Accessibility

Welcome to Speech Accessibility! Speech disability is when a person has difficulty articulating sounds of speech, cannot talk or communicate, or produce large groups of words at a time consistently. Have you ever met a person who may have a speech disorder? Well, if you haven't, you can learn how to approach a person with a speech disability in this chapter!

Did You Know?

A speech disability includes people who have: Stuttering, Cluttering, or other Nonverbal reactions/actions. In the US alone, around 9.4 million people have a speech disorder (from asha.org)

How to approach a person who has a speech disability?

Whenever you approach someone has a cognitive disability, make sure to keep these in mind

DO's

  • Do be very patient when the person is trying to speak

  • Do ask how they would prefer to communicate

  • Maintain eye contact and show that you are engaged

  • Do ask clarifying questions if you don't understand something

  • Do remain supportive and treat them as if you and the person were having a normal conversation

  • Do be mindful of the body language and tone

DONT's

  • Don't interrupt or finish the person's sentences

  • Don't ignore or talk over the person when they are speaking

  • Don't treat them differently, treat them like any other human being

  • Don't rush the conversation

  • Don't avoid interaction out of discomfort, approach the person with openness and respect

If you want to learn more about these approaches, make sure to check this website (https://afdo.org.au/- link is attached in the button):

Do's and Don'ts

Technology

There are multiple technologies that can help a person with a speech disability. Here are such AT's (Assistive Technology)

  • AT Augmentative and Alternative Communication

  • AT Speech Generating Devices

  • AT On-Screen Keyboards

Famous people with speech impairments

Isaac Newton Tiger Woods Theodore Roosevelt

There are a few key ideas to keep in mind when approaching a person with a speech impairment. The first is having patience. Make sure that you treat the conversation like regular one that you have with other people. Be attentive to the what the person is saying and try to maintain a good way of communication (it may vary from person to person).

On the bottom, you can click the button to see if how much you have learned!

Conclusion and Quiz

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