Latest News From the International Communication Project (December 2022)
This edition of the ICP newsletter brings you communication-related information and stories from around the world. This quarter, listen to the latest episode of The International Communicator podcast or if you missed an earlier edition you can listen to it here.
There is also information about the ICP’s support of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Human Rights Day, the latter celebrating the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
There is also information about research that suggestions that babies born during the pandemic lockdown have been later to meet some language and communication milestones. Finally, there is detail about important communication dates that are coming up and communication news from around-the-world.
Podcast chats with a speech therapist from East Africa
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is on Saturday 3 December 2022. First proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations, the International Communication Project (ICP) marks the day because it advocates for people with communication disabilities, seeks to raise the profile of communication disabilities, and works to have them recognised accordingly. Read more…
UN Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is 10 December 2022. It marks the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris in 1948. The UDHR is a landmark document in the history of human rights. Article 19 of the UDHR was one of the first contemporary expressions of the right to communication. This authoritative statement emphasises that all people have the right to communicate. All people, regardless of their status, age, or communicative capacity, have the right to receive and convey messages, to hold opinions, and to express themselves. Everyone should uphold others’ rights to communicate as they interact with people in daily life in order to enhance equality, justice, and human dignity.
While communication as a human right is embedded within Article 19 of the UDHR, there still remains a need to raise global awareness of the communication needs of those with communication disorders. In 2014, the International Communication Project (ICP) was formed to raise awareness of communication disorders around the world. To mark the 70th anniversary of the UDHR, the ICP submitted an article to a special edition on human rights of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. This article describes the work of the ICP to date, with an emphasis on the place of communication disorders in current international policy and potential pathways for advocacy. Read this article…
Lockdown babies behind on communication milestones
New research has found that babies born during the pandemic lockdown have been later to meet some language and communication milestones, and it is the ‘talking’ milestone that parents often worry more about than any other. Parents often feel they aren’t talking to their children in the right way, but research shows there really isn’t a “right way.” Read more…
Missed a podcast?
In episode three of the ICP’s The International Communicator podcast, Andrea Horgan from the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT), chats with a stroke survivor who has aphasia, a communication disorder that impacts a person’s ability to communicate. Listen now…
Key dates coming up…
There are a number of important dates coming up in the communication calendar.
- 3 December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- 10 December: Human Rights Day
- 4 February 2023: World Cancer Day
- 21 February 2023: International Mother Language Day
- 3 March 2023: World Hearing 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: Bold plan to cut Indigenous hearing loss by 50 per cent. Read more…
Egypt: Health Ministry conducts hearing screening for more than 3 million newborns. Read more…
Estonia: Estonia crowdsources speech data for the preservation of the Estonian language. Read more…
Estonia: Estonia short on speech therapists with skills to help stuttering adults. Read more…
Estonia: ‘It’s not just childcare’: focus on early years education sets Estonia apart. Read more…
Germany: Researchers investigate how mother’s mood affects language development in infants. Read more…
Ghana: Aphasia and Dysgraphia: The Systemics of Language and Learning Disability. Read more…
India: How we can give support to late-deafened people in our communities. Read more…
India: 500 kids will get free cochlear implants. Read more…
Iran: WHO visits disability-friendly facility established by the Association for the Protection of People Living with Spinal Cord Disabilities. Read more…
Israel: Bilingual people have more robust brain capability. Read more…
Jordan: Zarqa family launches initiative celebrating children with Down syndrome. Read more…
Jordan: Pronunciation predicaments and the world of phonetics. Read more…
Kyrgyzstan: Improving the quality and accessibility of education in the Issyk-Kul province of Kyrgyzstan. Read more…
Malawi: Malawian student invents sign language gloves to facilitate communication. Read more…
Portugal: Newborn hearing assessment can predict neurophysiological development at 12 months. Read more…
Qatar: 38 HMC students graduate in audiology courses. Read more…
South Africa: “People simply want to meet, connect and offer support to each other.” Read more…
Ukraine: What the war means for Ukrainians with disabilities. Read more…
Wales: Praise for hospital team who help deaf babies. Read more…
Sign the Pledge
Learn more about the Universal Declaration of Communication Rights.
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