The Communication Bill of Rights (3rd Edition): Guidance for Advocacy and Practice provides details regarding each of the rights, offers guidance on interpretation and application for advocacy and practice, and aims to serve as a practical guide with useful strategies. It is intended for families, caregivers, professionals, advocates, and organizations supporting the communication rights of people with severe disabilities.
You can use this guidance document broadly across audiences. This document provides suggested practical actions that you can take across settings. Use these actions to teach others how to uphold communication rights of people with severe disabilities. Teams may also find these actions useful as they reflect on and improve their own practices.
Guidance for Use
When using or adapting/modifying any content from the Communication Bill of Rights, even if you have simplified the wording further or changed representational format, be sure to use the following citation: National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities. (2024). NJC Communication Bill of Rights (3rd ed.). https://www.njc-communication.org
In order to track the reach and impact of the content—and to support ongoing refinement—we kindly ask that you share your modified version with the NJC by emailing it to Diane Paul (dpaul@asha.org).
Important Note: The current third edition of the Communication Bill of Rights is published as open access (i.e., no paywall). The NJC does not support monetizing the Communication Bill of Rights or any modified versions.
People have a fundamental right to use communication in all parts of their lives. These communication rights promote equitable and full participation across their lifespan.
They include:
1. The right to dignity and respect in all interactions.
Why Is It Included?
All people have value. Everyone is worthy of being heard and accepted by others. Showing dignity and respect during interactions recognizes everyone’s inherent humanity and is foundational to successful communication.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
We must treat people with severe disabilities the way we expect to be treated.
2. The right to meaningful communication that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
Why Is It Included?
It is important to affirm the value of multiple cultures and languages—and the fact that these can be assets to ensuring that the individual’s full abilities are realized. Meaningful communication is understood, accessible, and relevant. Individuals with disabilities can be exposed to and learn more than one language.
See the following resources for more information on providing culturally and linguistically responsive services:
Service With Culturally Diverse Individuals
Building a Thriving and Inclusive Occupational Therapy Community
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Communication is more successful when we recognize, value, and address each other’s intersecting identities across languages and cultures.
3. The right to be addressed directly and not be spoken for or talked about as if not there.
Why Is It Included?
Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in communication that is relevant to them. This is especially the case when the individual is present. Talking about or for a person who is present without their consent and/or participation is disrespectful.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
We should strive to address people directly and include them in all of our conversations about them.
4. The right to receive a response to all communication, even when the desired outcome is not possible.
Why Is It Included?
Responding to an individual’s communication is critical. Communication should be acknowledged, even when the expressed desire cannot be fulfilled at that time. Doing so ensures that an individual’s communication efforts are honored and reinforced.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Ignoring any communication attempt can be harmful. When we acknowledge communication, it increases the likelihood of future communication.
5. The right to participate across settings as full communication partners.
Why Is It Included?
People with significant communication support needs are often excluded from full participation because of myths and misconceptions, attitudinal barriers, and barriers in the built environment. Our lives are enriched when we have opportunities to engage with a wide range of people and pursuits. These opportunities can be enhanced through (a) access to flexible communication systems and (b) individuals willing to engage in and support communication.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
We all need opportunities to participate meaningfully everywhere we go.
6. The right to interact socially and to build and keep relationships.
Why Is It Included?
Communication is at the core of how we engage with the world around us. Communication is essential in building and maintaining relationships and is central to the human experience. Relationships and friendships are connected with well-being.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
We build and keep relationships through communication.
7. The right to be given—and to understand—information about objects, actions, events, and people.
Why Is It Included?
Everyone has the right to be informed about what impacts their lives. Information is not meaningful without comprehension and is critical to navigating our world. Denying information to someone about what impacts their lives is disrespectful.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Having information respects our right to be informed and included more fully in the world.
8. The right to ask for or refuse objects, actions, events, and people.
Why Is It Included?
Communication helps us get what we want or avoid what we don’t want, rather than having others decide for us.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Each of us has the right to determine when and how they communicate what they want or don’t want.
9. The right to express preferences and feelings, make comments, and share opinions.
Why Is It Included?
Communication is essential in expressing one’s unique identity, interests, and experience—
including personal thoughts, feelings, ideas, and opinions. This expression fosters connection and relationships with other people.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
By conveying thoughts, feelings, ideas, and opinions, we let people know who we are and what’s important to us.
10. The right to make choices from meaningful options.
Why Is It Included?
Choice-making is central to having control over our lives.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Authentic choice-making requires us to have experiences that help us understand and select preferred options presented to us in accessible ways.
11. The right to access services and supports for communication across the lifespan.
Why Is It Included?
Access to services and supports should exist across a person’s life. People, technology, and interventions change over time. People should have the opportunity to experience new and different approaches for communication across settings.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Our communication needs and abilities evolve over the course of our lives. Access to appropriate services and other supports—including technology—enables successful communication.
12. The right to have individualized, working augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and other assistive technology (AT) at all times.
Why Is It Included?
Individualized forms of AAC meet the person’s strengths and needs across contexts and support participation. People need consistent access to a variety of tools and strategies that support their participation and ensure their successful communication.
Actions You Can Take
Bottom Line
Communication happens throughout the day—in all settings and with diverse people. Individualized supports need to be available in all of those contexts.