About Us
Who We Are
Communication Rights Australia is a national advocacy organisation dedicated to the rights of Australians with little or no speech. Communication Rights Australia works to ensure that every person who relies on augmentative and alternative communication has a full voice in policy, services, and society.
Our Story
What Communication Rights Australia Does
Communication Rights Australia advocates nationally for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication. AAC includes any method, tool, or strategy that helps a person express themselves when spoken words are not fully available, from low-tech symbol boards to high-tech speech-generating devices.
Communication Rights Australia submits to government inquiries, engages with NDIS review processes, and works alongside AAC users, families, speech pathologists, and disability organisations. Communication Rights Australia believes that communication access is a human right, not a clinical nicety, and that every policy, service, and system in Australia must reflect that principle.
Communication Rights Australia is based in Moorabbin, Victoria, and operates across all states and territories. The organisation holds ABN 25 120 926 829 and is independently governed.
What We Stand For
The Values Behind Our Work
Communication Rights Australia operates from a clear set of commitments. These values shape every submission, campaign, and conversation.
Person-Centred
Communication Rights Australia places the lived experience of AAC users at the centre of every decision. People who rely on AAC shape the advocacy work, not just benefit from it.
Rights-Based
Communication Rights Australia grounds every position in Australian and international human rights law. Access to communication is a right, not a resource to be rationed.
Evidence-Based
Communication Rights Australia builds its policy positions from research, data, and the documented experiences of AAC users. Advocacy without evidence is noise. Communication Rights Australia adds signal.
Persistent
Communication Rights Australia understands that systemic change takes time. Communication Rights Australia maintains pressure on policy processes and does not step back when change is slow.
Inclusive
Communication Rights Australia works across disability types, age groups, and geographic locations. The need to communicate is universal. Communication Rights Australia's advocacy reflects that reach.
Collaborative
Communication Rights Australia partners with families, clinicians, peak bodies, and organisations to amplify the collective voice for AAC rights. No single advocate changes a system alone.
Understanding AAC
What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication?
Augmentative and alternative communication, known as AAC, refers to any method a person uses to communicate beyond spoken words. AAC ranges from low-tech tools such as picture boards and alphabet charts to high-tech speech-generating devices and dedicated communication apps.
People of all ages use AAC. Children with autism, adults with cerebral palsy, people who have experienced stroke or motor neurone disease, and many others rely on AAC every day. AAC does not replace speech development. Research consistently shows that AAC supports, rather than hinders, spoken language growth.
Communication Rights Australia advocates for timely, funded, and ongoing access to AAC for every Australian who needs it, with the right support from trained professionals and informed communities.
What We Work On
Our Focus Areas
Communication Rights Australia concentrates advocacy across the systems that most directly affect the lives of people who rely on AAC.
NDIS and Disability Policy
Communication Rights Australia engages directly with NDIS review processes, ministerial consultations, and parliamentary inquiries. Communication Rights Australia submits evidence-based policy positions that document the gap between NDIS funding decisions and the actual communication needs of AAC users. The goal is a funding framework that treats AAC as essential, not discretionary.
Education Access
Communication Rights Australia advocates for AAC-informed education settings at every level. Students who rely on AAC deserve teachers and support staff who understand their communication tools. Communication Rights Australia works with education departments and peak bodies to build consistent AAC knowledge into school systems across Australia.
Health System Inclusion
Communication Rights Australia identifies barriers within hospital and health service settings that prevent people who use AAC from communicating effectively during clinical encounters. Communication Rights Australia advocates for accessible health communication standards and for hospital policies that accommodate AAC users during assessment, consent, and treatment.
Workforce and Training
Communication Rights Australia advocates for AAC competency to become a standard expectation across the disability support, health, and education workforces. A support worker or clinician who does not understand AAC cannot fully support the people they serve. Communication Rights Australia works to close that gap through sector engagement and training advocacy.
Find Communication Rights Australia
Contact Us
Communication Rights Australia welcomes contact from AAC users, families, clinicians, organisations, and policy makers. Reach out to share your experience, ask a question, or explore how to work together.
- Address Shop 4, 1-3 Tuck Street, Moorabbin VIC 3189, Australia
- Phone 1300 666 604
- Email info@communicationrights.org.au
