Access & Communication

Access: making participation possible

Access asks whether the person can actually use the information, meeting, environment, and decision-making process. Being invited or present is not the same as having meaningful access.

Barriers may call for information in advance, plain language, large print, screen-reader-friendly documents, a different meeting format, described visual material, sensory adjustments, an accessible location, or enough time to take part. The useful question is not whether an accommodation was listed, but whether it worked for the person.

Language and interpretation

I work in English and Spanish and coordinate other language access when needed. Interpretation, document translation, and informal translation tools are not interchangeable. An interpreter's participation also does not replace any AAC or other communication support the person uses.

The regional-center Language Access and Cultural Competency program is addressed in DDS Directive D-2026-Equity-001 (May 12, 2026). That statewide program is not a substitute for identifying what a particular participant needs.

Communication: understanding and being understood

Communication asks how the person receives, expresses, questions, disagrees, clarifies, and corrects information. A person may use speech, sign, pictures, writing, gestures, eye gaze, switches, yes/no responses, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), or several methods together. Speech does not outrank AAC. AAC does not require prerequisite skills.

Effective support may require familiar communication partners, an individualized method, enough response time, training, working equipment, and meaningful opportunities to initiate communication—not only to answer someone else's questions. Supports should be shaped by the person's preferences and demonstrated needs, without presuming that silence, delay, or distress means agreement.

Communication support is not simply technology

An AAC device may be essential, but providing a device alone does not establish that communication is effective. Access to it, training, skilled partners, and everyday use may all matter. A communication method must remain available during planning, services, and ordinary community life.

Do not conflate access duties, supports, and SDP purchases

SDP service code 360 — Communication Support describes personnel assistance such as interpreters, translators, readers, communication aides, and related training or assistance with communication technology when identified in the participant's IPP. The service definition does not include buying equipment or supplies. Code 336 — Technology Services concerns technology, devices, and related supports under a different SDP service definition. Speech, hearing, and language services (SDP Code 372), when applicable, have a separate definition and should not be confused with communication support (Code 360). A communication facilitator under Code 360 should not be confused with the participant-selected Independent Facilitator service under Code 340; the two service definitions and roles are not interchangeable.

Separately, an agency's duty to make its own meetings, information, and communications accessible must not automatically be treated as a service purchase from the participant's SDP budget. For any proposed support, identify the barrier, the IPP need, who is responsible, the applicable service definition, and other potential funding sources before deciding how it is arranged or paid for.

SCDD: Communication Support (360) · DDS: current SDP service definitions · U.S. DOJ: effective communication

Whose voice is whose?

Families, supporters, professionals, interpreters, and communication partners may have important information. I keep these separate:

• what the participant communicated;
• what someone else interpreted or reported;
• what a professional recommended;
• what was observed; and
• what remains uncertain.

Observed behavior can be important evidence; it does not automatically establish what the person meant. Substantial support can preserve—not replace—the participant's authorship and direction.

Communication support is not making decisions for the person. Supported decision-making can help the participant understand options, consider information, and communicate choices with people they trust. Supporters' preferences should not be presented as the participant's own decisions. DVU: Supported Decision-Making.

Communication support should be considered individually, not rejected solely because assistance is used or a method is disputed. The SCDD Policy on Inclusive Communications (adopted July 21, 2026) calls for attention to the person, method, support, context, authorship, and control. This adopted policy does not itself determine whether a particular service is fundable; applicable program requirements and individual circumstances still matter.

Before, during, and after a decision

Before

Ask the participant and their supporters what will make the information and conversation usable. Plan the formats, language access, communication partners, time, and other supports in advance; confirm who will arrange them.

During

Check that the supports are working, not merely present. Slow down or pause when needed; allow the person to communicate, refuse, ask questions, reconsider, and correct interpretations. Presence is not participation.

After

Provide an understandable record of what the participant communicated, what was decided, what is pending, and who will follow through. Give the person a meaningful opportunity to correct the record.

A practical test

Could the person access the information, communicate in their own way, make or refuse a choice, correct the record, and see their direction acted on?

If not, identify which barrier remains and who is responsible for addressing it.

Communication rights and practical experience: Disability Voices United: Communication Rights, DVU AAC resources, and DVU Communication Access Connect.

Service definitions and further guidance: DDS: SDP service definitions and DDS: Communication Services FAQ; the Self-Determination Institute's explanations of Communication Support (360) and Technology Services (336). Community education and advocacy resources do not replace current law, approved waiver terms, or DDS requirements.

Communicate with Hero in a way that works for you

You can tell me what helps you receive information, communicate, and participate. This may include Spanish, interpretation, accessible documents, AAC, additional processing time, or another approach.

You do not need to explain a diagnosis or know the name of an accommodation to begin. We can identify a practical way to communicate together. Start a conversation with Hero.