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1.1
Every individual has a right to communication and we are governed by standards and codes of practice to ensure that these needs are met. Communication is a basic human right, without communication the individual is unable to realise or exercise their rights. Under the human rights act 1998 all people have the right to ‘freedom of expression’.
1.2
When working with service users who have specific communication needs it is important to have a good understanding of what their needs are, so they can be supported and encouraged in everyday activities. If I didn’t understand their specific communication needs, I would not be able to communicate fully with the individual, their needs would be unmet and basic skills of effective communication may be forgotten.
1.3
The environment I am in is important for communication towards service users. If I am communicating with a service user that has hearing loss or poor sight the lighting needs to be sufficient enough for them to see clearly or lip read. Background noise may hinder communication between the service user and I as they may get distracted by the noises and not hear what is being said.
Positioning is important so that the service user and I can both see the body language and facial expressions between ourselves. All these can be helpful with effective communication.
1.4
Some service users because of certain health conditions have their own way of communicating; this can be due to hearing difficulties, in which case they will use sign language. Another could be because of learning problems and these people use a form of body language, some might use their eyes whilst others communicate by making facial expressions, sounds or even pointing. A further reason could be due to a severe medical condition and in some of these cases the individual can learn to use electronic equipment to communicate.
1.5
No matter what a person’s