Disability Safety

Have you ever been to the dentist with a tube in your mouth and unable to speak and are limited to a gesture or a sound?  We take for granted our ability to communicate and don’t realise that there are situations when it is critical to express ourselves in a more complex manner to let others know what we are feeling when we are sick, what happened if we had an accident, describe who did something if witnessing a crime, and are unable to speak whether permanently or temporarily.

Communication Boards use symbols rather than words so a person who is unable to speak can still communicate.  Below is an example of a simple communication board:

It is important for a nonverbal individual to have information about them handy on their person should they happen to be in an accident.  Many times they are on medications or have medical conditions that emergency personnel need to be aware of so that they can take these into consideration when selecting treatment options.