To communicate with someone is to exchange information or news with them. To communicate is the beginning of understanding. Communication is considered a vital parts of care work as it enables people to store information, without communication, a relationship cannot be develop. As Tearesa Thomson stated when writing about health work, ‘Communication is a relationship’ (1986). The number of ways in which people can communicate with can communicate with each other differs: A person can communicate with another via; Oral communication, body language, signs and symbols and/or written and electronically transferred communication.
For most disability, there is a way of communicating that is suitable for them and can be easily understood. I. e. The deaf use sign language. It is vital that we communicate using the right methods to each person; else the information may be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Oral communication Oral (mouth) communications when done face to face usually involve the use of words and sentences (otherwise known as verbal communication) collectively, with a range of facial expressions and body languages (non- verbal communication) which has to exude the right massage to give the right impression.
Oral communication may be central to such daily task as: Asking for information, Explaining issues, policies and procedure, clarifying issues, problem solving, exchanging ideas/ learning new ideas, Welcoming people, building a sense of trust, calming people who are experiencing strong emotion… etc. n this new day and age, a vast amount of information can be easily accessed through the internet. Email and text message can now reach people in a fraction of the time that paper based written communication used to take.
We also have computers on which we can record, store and communicate information very quickly and efficiently over long distances. Some aids can turn small movements into written word and then into speech, such as the voice box most famously used by the scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking. Special methods Occasionally it is unachievable to rise above a barrier to communication so an alternative type of communication must be found. Substitute communications such as: sign language, lip reading, Braille and Makaton. Sign language Sign language is a language which as opposed to using sounds uses visual signs.
These are made up of the shapes, positions and movement of the hands, arms or body and facial expressions to convey a speaker’s thoughts. Sign language is generally used in neighbourhoods which consist of the friends and families of deaf people as well as people who are deaf or hard of hearing themselves. In the UK, British Sign Language (BSL) is the most widely used method of signed communication. Lip reading Lip reading is a technique of interpreting the actions of a person’s lips, face and tongue, alongside information supplied by any remaining hearing. It is used by a person who is hard of hearing or deaf.
When addressing someone who lip reads, it is essential that you look directly at person and stand in a well lit area, when speaking. Unlike the deaf or hard of hearing, people with normal hearing subconsciously use information from the lips and face to help grasp what is being said. Makaton Makaton is a method of communication using signs and symbols and is frequently used as a communication process for individuals with learning difficulties. It was first developed in the UK in the 1970s and is now used in over 40 countries around the world. Dissimilar to BSL, Makaton uses speech as well as actions and symbols.
It employs picture cards and attaches in facial expressions with the phrase to make the word more easily acknowledged by those with learning difficulties. Braille The Braille system is a means of communication that is extensively used by blind people to read and write. Braille was developed by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman, in 1821. Each Braille character is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle. A dot may be raised at any of the six positions to form sixty-four possible combinations and these raised dots are read by touch. There are also special printers made to print in Braille.