Adaptations that may be required

Adaptations to communication strategies must address the particular context. You may find it useful to discuss the context or situation with individual staff to assess what their communication needs are and to decide together what adaptations will improve communication. For example, you may discuss how communication strategies can be adapted to meet the needs of people with hearing impairments with a staff member who has a hearing loss.

Adaptations may include ensuring that written and verbal communication occurs at staff meetings to meet different communication styles of the team. It could mean training for the team to communicate effectively with a hearing impaired staff member, or ensuring a computer has an appropriate screen cover to assist a staff member with a learning disability to read more easily. Cultural diversity training may also be a way to facilitate effective communication within the team.