Communication Passports

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Communication Passports
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Communication Passport.

• Started by The Call Centre, pioneered by Sense
  Scotland.
• Provides a way to positively support people with
  communication difficulties in their interactions
  with others.
• A way of collating important information in a way
  that is easily accessible.
• The process can be enlightening.
• It is a positive problem solving document.

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Why?

• Can provide life and death details.
• Functional everyday details eg likes and
  dislikes.
• Helps new people staff, visitors understand a
  persons needs quickly.
• Helpful when transitioning to a new school or new
  environment eg youth club, scouts.
• Parents can be confident that their knowledge of
  their child is being shared.
• Can be used to support within the community eg
  library, shops, police.

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How?

• Permission needs to be gained from parents to
  initiate a passport.
• The involvement of the individual will depend
  very much on their age and ability.
• Discuss with family and friends and all who come
  into contact with the individual.
• Think about what environments the individual
  frequents.

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How continued

• Think about essential content.
• Take time to observe how the individual
  communicates, when, with who and for what.
• Needs to be highly personalised.
• Needs to be visually attractive and easy to
  read/access.

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How continued

• Where possible it needs to be understood by the
  individual. For example what level is the
  individual understanding at? objects, photos,
  symbols, written word.
• The Passport is written in the first person.
• The language used needs to be jargon free.

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Areas you might include

• I communicate by
• My personal needs are
• Things I dont like
• My Special people are
• Things I like to do
• Food and drinks I like
• Times I might get upset
• I show my feelings by

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Formats

• Credit card.
• A number of credit cards on a key ring.
• Placemat
• Booklet
• File

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Things to remember

• The passport is owned by the holder not the
  professionals.
• The passport should be kept with the owner.
• The passport should be regularly reviewed and
  kept up to date.

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Useful places of information

• www.cerebra.org.uk personal portfolios.
• www.callcentrescotland.org.uk has a
  downloadable template for a Communication
  passport.
• www.scope.org.uk.earlyyears/ - a template for a
  Communication Passport.
• www.totalcommunication.org.uk two templates for
  Communication Passports.
• All information and templates shown within this
  workshop can be found in the above websites.