Diakonie and the Disability Council: Despite the current pressure to save money, people with speech difficulties have a right to communication

The federal government, the Austrian states and health insurance companies must finally focus on access to communication aids and the necessary advice.

“For more than 15 years, Diakonie and Verbund have been working together to promote the right to communication for people with speech difficulties. Given the current pressure to cut costs, not only are advances in the right to communication at stake but there are also fears of setbacks,” explains Diakonie Director Maria Katharina Moser ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December.

Around 63,000 people in Austria have speech difficulties. They need technical aids (called assistive technologies) and advice and support so that they can speak with the help of the devices. Social welfare organization Diakonie is demanding a legal right to these aids.

“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, signed by Austria in 2008, obliges Austria to support the availability, knowledge and use of assistive devices and technologies intended for persons with disabilities for the purposes of habilitation and rehabilitation,” states Manuela Lanzinger, vice-president of the Disability Council, clearly demonstrating the urgency.

Obtaining the right aid remains complicated

Despite many years of effort, obtaining the right aid remains complicated and purchasing it is often very expensive for those concerned. Many different offices and agencies at state and federal level are involved. And health insurance companies keep finding reasons not to cover the costs of communication aids, or to cover only some of them.

An example shows what is possible: a child with speech difficulties receives a technical communication aid – an eye tracking device – as a result of a targeted consultation. The family is supported step by step, from choosing the right device and financing it through to practical application in everyday life. Through commitment and support, it is possible to pay for the aid and the accompanying training in full using public funds. “The child can finally learn to ‘speak’ using the aid and participate in life – in school, family and leisure time,” says Carina Bloder, consultant for supported communications at Diakonie.

However, another example shows where the system reaches its limits: another child with the same needs does not receive funding. The family is unsure about how to deal with authorities and applications are rejected. The child remains without an aid, without a voice, without participation.

“That makes it all the more important to establish the legal right to the funding of assistive technologies for people with disabilities,” emphasises Lanzinger. “In addition to the funding for the aid itself, this legal right must also include central contact points in all federal states who can handle applications and approvals quickly without any red tape, and advice so that people can find the right aid for their needs and learn how to use it.”

Important collaboration between Diakonie and VERBUND ensures supply and advice on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

For more than 15 years, electricity supplier VERBUND has supported individual consultations for around 10,000 people with disabilities regarding options for augmentative and alternative communication and assistive technologies. It also helps cover gaps in funding for the purchase of assistive devices. This support is provided through Diakonie’s VERBUND Empowerment Fund. “We are very pleased to have this long-standing and essential contribution to public awareness of the right to communication for people with speech disabilities,” emphasises Maria Katharina Moser.

“For more than 15 years, we’ve been working with Diakonie to achieve this aim, and we never tire of reiterating these important demands,” says VERBUND CEO Michael Strugl. “Children in particular need the aids to learn to speak, and the time factor is essential here too. Every day they have to wait is one day too many,” says Strugl.

The Austrian Disability Council is calling for measures to ensure the optimal supply and financing of assistive aids.

Click here for the position paper: https://www.behindertenrat.at/stellungnahmen/position-des-oesterreichischen-behindertenrats-zur-hilfsmittelversorgung/

Katharina (14) has benefited from the current Diakonie campaign. She was lucky

Kathi Panholzer is 14 years old. She was lucky. She lives in Upper Austria, and her family received the necessary support so that Kathi got the communication aids she needed. These enable the young woman to raise her voice at home and at school whenever she wants. She controls the computer with her eyes and her speech output device lends her its computerised voice. Kathi, who lives with strong muscle twitches (spasms) and no speech, is no longer speechless.

Kathi’s story can be read in detail here: https://www.diakonie.at/katharina-und-irmgard

Kathi can be heard talking here: https://youtube.com/shorts/o4jqhDF6tME – Kathi and her AAC supervisor Irmgard can currently be seen on large-size Diakonie posters throughout Austria.