Communication Access Resources: Education, Training, and Implementation

This page contains resources for health professionals, students, facilities, and policymakers to apply communication access principles in their systems or workplaces.

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can support this learning with in-services, hands-on trainings, and just-in-time resources. They can collaborate with disability or language access services, human resources (for new-hire orientation), clinical educators, and administration to facilitate effective communication practices.

This list is not exhaustive, and the inclusion of any specific programs, products, or services from outside sources does not imply endorsement from ASHA.

Education and Training Materials

General Education Webinars Oregon Health Authority and Northwest ADA Center: ADA and Healthcare Four-part webinar series to help health professionals understand their responsibilities—and the rights of their patients with communication disabilities—under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Patient–Provider Communication Tools2Use: Improving Healthcare Outcomes Through Effective Communication Webinar series featuring tools that providers and consumers can use across settings to share communication access needs. Voxello: Educational Materials Webinars and conference presentations on strategies to remove communication barriers in acute care hospitals.
Specialized Training Programs Aphasia Institute: Introduction to Supported Conversation for Adults With Aphasia (SCA™) eLearning Module Self-directed online module on ways to improve access to health care for people with aphasia. You need a Community Hub account to complete this free training. Disability Equity Collaborative: Training for Frontline Staff to Collect Disability Status Learn how to document disability status and accommodation needs in patient health records. The Arc of Massachusetts: Operation House Call Hands-on training program for future medical professionals about the health care experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Check if The Arc in your area has similar trainings. SPEACS-2 Communication Training Program Online training for intensive care unit nurses to learn how to communicate effectively with patients who have an artificial airway, are on a ventilator, or are taking medications that make thinking and communication harder. See also SPEACS-2 Communication Assessment and Intervention Pathway [PDF].

Implementation Tools for Communication Access

General Disability Equity Collaborative Implementation Guides Guides to help organizations document disability and implement best practices for providing accessible health care to people with disabilities. The Joint Commission: Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals [PDF] Step-by-step implementation practices across the continuum of care for compliance with Joint Commission patient-centered communication standard.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Improving Communication Access for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing [PDF] A handbook by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that explains how providers can (a) assess communication needs in their practices or systems, (b) create plans to meet those needs, and (c) implement accessible services to improve health care for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. CMS also offers the related Guide to Developing a Language Access Plan [PDF], which covers effective communication planning, training, and evaluation.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) The National Roadmap for Disability-Inclusive Healthcare The Institute for Exceptional Care collaborated with various stakeholders to create a plan that helps current and future clinicians provide safe, quality care for people with IDD.
Stroke and Dementia Aphasia Institute: Communicative Access Measures for Stroke (CAMS) Set of surveys to assess communication accessibility in health care facilities that provide services for stroke. CAMS can be useful for accreditation, quality improvement, continuing education, or creating health equity plans related to aphasia and stroke care. Practical Implementation Collaborative: Dementia Collaborative Coaching Manuals Free implementation manuals for SLPs and certified nursing assistants that offer a just-in-time coaching strategy to improve communication between staff and residents with dementia.

ASHA Support

For more information about communication disabilities and effective communication access, contact ASHA's Action Center:

By email at actioncenter@asha.org
By phone (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday) at 800-638-8255

Or visit ASHA's ProFind to find a communication professional near you.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Communication Access Resources: Education, Training, and Implementation

Education and Training Materials

General Education Webinars

Specialized Training Programs

Implementation Tools for Communication Access

General

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Stroke and Dementia

ASHA Support

In the Practice Management Section

Communication Access Resources: Education, Training, and Implementation

Education and Training Materials

General Education Webinars

Specialized Training Programs

Implementation Tools for Communication Access

General

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Stroke and Dementia

ASHA Support

In the Practice Management Section

ASHA Corporate Partners

About ASHA

Information For

Get Involved

Connect With ASHA

Media Resources