Why CAN is Important

CAN is important because:

• People who have speech and language disabilities have the same rights as everyone else including equal access to goods, services and opportunities in their communities.

• There are 440,000 people in Canada who have speech and language disabilities that are not caused by hearing loss. They may have cerebral palsy, autism, cognitive disability, traumatic brain injury, aphasia after a stroke, dementia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease; Multiple Sclerosis or other conditions.
• Businesses and organizations have legal responsibilities to ensure that people who have communication disabilities can effectively communicate with them when using their services.
• Communication access is currently not well represented in accessibility legislation and guidelines for businesses and organizations.
• Communication is important in any situation, however there can be serious consequences when people cannot effectively communicate in essential services such as police, healthcare, legal and emergency services.