Latest News From the International Communication Project (September 2022)
This edition of the ICP newsletter brings you communication-related information and stories from around the world. This quarter, watch the International Communications Rights Alliance address to the United Nations or listen to the latest episode of the ICP’s podcast, The International Communicator.
There is also information about International Literacy Day on 8 September and links to articles on face masks and language, and about whether our brains are changed by the language we are born with.
Plus detail about important communication dates coming up and communication news from around-the-world.
International Communications Rights Alliance address UN
It was empowering to see two representatives from the International Communication Rights Alliance, each with lived experience of communication disability (and using AAC devices), address the recent 27th session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Alliance’s review of States party reports highlighted a notable omission of support for people with comprehensive communication needs. The Alliance also noted that in these reports, “communication” typically referred to unidirectional communication to persons with disabilities, often requiring technologies such as computers. Such measures did not sufficiently support interpersonal communication for persons with diverse needs. Communication needed to be made available in a variety of formats. Communications rights needed to be addressed in all aspects of life in which human action occurs. View the address on United Nations Web TV…
Podcast speaks with Filipino speech pathologists
In the most recent episode of the ICP’s The International Communicator podcast, the former President of the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association chats with representatives from the Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists about the challenges of communication disability and related matters in the Philippines. Listen now…
Does language change our brains?
Researchers are hunting the globe to learn more about how our brains process language. So, if you have ever travelled through a country with a different native language to your own, you would have noticed the foreign-sounding inflections, and rises and falls in tone. You may have even struggled to know where sentences or even words begin and end. You probably felt like your brain was just wired differently. But a recent study has shown that our brains appear to function pretty much the same, regardless of the language we speak. Read more…
Do face masks affect how children understand speech
While mask-wearing is no longer required in many locations, it remains in use as a way to limit the spread of COVID-19. One of the criticisms of masks has been that they make communication more difficult. A recent report by the United Kingdom’s Department for Education, for example, suggests that mask wearing during the pandemic may have caused communication difficulties in classrooms. Read more…
What is International Literacy Day?
Since 1967, International Literacy Day has taken place annually on 8 September to promote the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. In 2022, the theme for International Literacy Day is Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces. Read more…
Key dates coming up…
There are a number of important dates coming up in the communication calendar.
- 8 September: International Literacy Day
- 13 September: Anniversary of UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- 21 September: World Alzheimer’s Day
- 23 September: International Day of Sign Languages
- 28 September: The International Day for the Universal Access to Information
- 1 October: International Day of Older Persons
- 10 October: World Mental Health Day
- 22 October: International Stuttering Awareness Day
- 29 October: World Stroke Day.
International communication news from around the world
The International Communication Project (ICP) regularly features stories about communication and swallowing difficulties on its website and social media accounts from around the world. In sharing this news with you, we aim to keep you informed of conversations pertinent to communications and swallowing as they happen around the world. The opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily represent the views of the ICP, nor does the inclusion of a story indicate endorsement of the article’s viewpoint or accuracy. If you have a story you’d like to see featured, please email us!
Australia: The I Am, Movement designs ‘culturally safe’ education resources for Indigenous children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Read more…
China: Despite deafness, Jilin man finds way to communicate. Read more…
Fiji: First of its kind research aids multilingual Fijian children’s speech sound acquisition. Read more…
Ghana: Parents of children with developmental disabilities asked to seek early intervention. Read more…
Hong Kong: Supporting Hong Kong students with special educational needs. Read more…
India: Cochlear implant scheme relaunched; 67 children set to benefit in the first phase. Read more…
Malta: Malta is internationally acclaimed as a pioneer in free and comprehensive deafness prevention. Read more…
New Zealand: New Zealanders are some of the world’s biggest baby talkers, new study finds. Read more…
Qatar: 28,000 babies screened for hearing issues a year. Read more…
Russia: Siberian Federal University: In Tuvan and Russian: Siberian linguists develop speech exercises for bilinguals with aphasia. Read more…
Singapore: Help your child communicate better. Read more…
Solomon Islands: Sign language lessons to begin in Solomon Islands. Read more…
South Africa: Why African languages need to be protected and promoted. Read more…
Taiwan: Devices said to slow speech learning. Read more…
United Kingdom: GCSE results: Call for support as deaf pupils get one grade lower on average than hearing classmates. Read more…
Yemen: Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief diagnoses 300 hearing-impaired Yemeni students. Read more…
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