International policy and engagement
RCSLT is committed to international engagement both to advocate for the rights of people with communication needs and to promote the speech and language therapist profession globally with a focus on low and middle-income countries.
To support these activities, RCSLT has been working with and supporting the work of several bodies, including:
- The International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (previously known as the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics abbreviated as IALP) where we work to support IALPS work to influence the WHO and take part in a range of scientific committees (find out how students can get free membership to the IALP);
- The International Communication Project where we work in partnership with SLT professional bodies from the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland to advocate for people with communication disabilities. RCSLT has led the development of publications including ‘The Importance of Speech, Language and Communication to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: A Summary of Evidence’ and also led engagement at the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- Communication Therapy International an RCSLT CEN, which holds best practice on partnership with low and middle income countries); and
- the Mutual Recognition Agreement an arrangement between the RCSLT and other professional associations from English-speaking countries to make it easier for SLTs to work in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and the Republic of Ireland.
- the Think Language First project in partnership with scholars from the ATLAS Leiden project, aims to fundamentally transform how language and communication difficulties are addressed in our school systems.
RCSLT is also an accredited non-government organisation (NGO) by the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). RCSLT has also been granted special consultative status by the UN Economic and Social Council in November 2021 – the first and only speech and language therapy body to hold this status in the world.
You can find out more about RCSLT international engagement and advocacy work is this section.
The International Communication Project
Launched in 2014, the International Communication Project (ICP) advocated for people with communication disabilities, as well as their families, caregivers and communication professionals. The ICP highlighted the importance of human communication and how communication disabilities significantly impact all aspects of life.
The ICP was built on the premise that communication is vital to life, yet is largely ignored as a disability. The World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability estimated that roughly one billion people around the world are living with some form of disability.
However, the authors of this report acknowledged that people with communication disabilities may not be included in this estimate, despite the fact that they encounter difficulties that significantly impact their daily lives.
Over the last 10 years, RCSLT with equivalent professional bodies from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland has been on a journey to promote the rights of people with Communication Disability through the International Communication Project.
A period of great excitement and enthusiasm, this was the first time that SLT bodies collaborated in such a way to solidify a vision for communication rights globally. It saw many firsts including the launch of the Universal Declaration of Communication Rights among other publications, an event at the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities where we rubbed shoulders with ambassadors and global NGOs, and this also saw the RCSLT becoming the first ever SLT body to receive Special Consultative Status from the UN Economic and Social Council.
And while this journey has now been brought to an end through the official closure of the ICP, RCSLT will begin a new chapter of global influencing and campaigning through the launch of our international pledges and strategy later this year.
Current Activities of the ICP
- With support from colleagues from The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), RCSLT provides briefing notes to the International Association of Logopedists & Phoniatrists (IALP) – the global body for the profession – to support their engagement with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- RCSLT is now in correspondence with the WHO regional office in Europe.
- Through a consortium of NGOs, RCSLT made a submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) Committee, ahead of the 2017 reporting period. RCSLT then made a separate submission to the committee ahead of the General Discussion for equality and non-discrimination under Art 5 of the Convention.
- Speech Pathology Australia contributed to a submission to the Committee from Disabled People’s Organisations Australia and also made a submission to the UN Human Rights High Commission under Art 19 of the convention.
- The ICP Evidence and Policy group have published a consolidation of evidence, presented as a narrative making the case for communication disability in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The RCSLT played a key role in the development of this narrative.
- The ICP is also taking steps to engage international service user groups.
- The ICP communications working group continues to work together for international campaigns, producing a regular newsletter and resources, as well as regular social media collaborations, for example the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, promoting communication as a human right.
For further information, please visit the ICP website.
Conference of State Parties to the CRPD
Non-government organisation accreditation and ECOSOC status
In June 2018, the RCSLT was accredited as a Non-government organisation (NGO), by the United Nations at the 11th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), by consensus. RCSLT was then granted special consultative status by the UN Economic and Social Council in November 2021 – the first and only speech and language therapy body to hold this status in the world.
The RCSLT’s accreditation at the UN will enable us to take forward our strategic aims to work with partners at an international level and to continue to influence for people with communication disabilities, in our endeavours to ensure that communication is recognised as a human right as part of the International Communication Project.
15th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
As part of our commitment to the International Communication Project, we were engaged at the 15th Conference of State Parties to the Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in June 2022.
The RCSLT was represented by the inspirational Abdi Omar, a service user advocate with Cerebral Palsy who relies on an AAC device to communicate.
Read more about the conference and watch Abdi’s statement.
Event at the 12th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
In June 2019, the RCSLT and Speech Pathology Australia, as part of the wider International Communication Project delivered a side event at the 12th Conference of State Parties to the CRPD in partnership with the international NGO Humanity and Inclusion (formerly known as Handicap International) and co-sponsored by the Government of Australia.
The event titled “People With Communication Disabilities Speak Up For Inclusion and Participation” was chaired by RCSLT Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Derek Munn.
Speakers included:
- Gail Mulcair, Chief Executive Officer, Speech Pathology Australia.
- Sharynne McLeod, Professor at Charles Sturt University, Australia, and Editor, special issue of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (Communication is a Human Right: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
- Meredith Allan, President, International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) and Augmentative Communication User.
- Miles Forma, Disability Advocate and Augmentative Communication User, United States of America.
- Julia McGeown, Global Inclusive Education Specialist, Humanity and Inclusion.
The event highlighted the lack of visibility and recognition of communication disability; exchanging knowledge about needs and barriers faced by people with communication disability to access and exercise human rights in the context of Article 19 (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and Article 21 (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). It also formulated concrete proposals to strengthen effective transnational cooperation to promote participation in cultural life, recreation and leisure for people with communication disability.
