Accessible Communication across Spoken Languages, Sign Language, and Graphic Recording through Six Case Studies (In Hungarian)

Abstract

In this study, we examine the challenges of accessible communication from the perspectives of three fields: interlingual mediation, disability studies, and graphic representation. In the present analysis, accessibility is understood as a state or principle that ensures all individuals—regardless of sensory, cognitive, linguistic, or cultural differences—can independently and safely access, use, and interpret a given environment, service, or communication channel. Communication accessibility further means that the process of communication—comprising the sender, the medium, and the recipient—is organised in such a way that information is perceptible, interpretable, and can be responded to by all parties involved, including those with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments, and that the necessary personal and material/technical resources are available.
Starting from the concept of accessibility, we identify the actors in various communicative arise as barriers within these situations. The study investigates six cases. The first two draw attention to mediation between languages, where the foreign language itself constitutes the barrier. The first case analyses the obstacles encountered during an interpreted presentation at an academic conference, while the second, based on the
study by Nagy and Réthelyi (2023), presents examples of accessibility in a historical humanitarian child-relief action. The third and fourth cases involve communicative situations in which participants with disabilities possess only limited competence in the language they use, creating an additional layer of difficulty. The authors emphasise that this is not universally applicable: individuals considered to have disabilities do not
form a homogeneous group in terms of linguistic skills and abilities. In the described situations—a court hearing and a medical consultation—communication is guided by persons with high levels of occupational prestige and linguistic competence. The final two cases demonstrate the barrier-reducing potential of graphic recording in addressing complex problems. One case (Leonard et al. 2017) describes the use of graphic facilitation during a meeting aimed at improving services at a children’s hospital, which enabled participants to visualise areas in need of development within the system. In the other case (Espiner and Guild 2012), we focus on future planning for young people with disabilities and present the graphic facilitation of a successful career-planning process. Drawing on the lessons of these cases, we summarise the extent to which accessibility can be successfully achieved, how communication barriers can be effectively dismantled, and what responsibilities the actors in these situations bear—or, conversely, from which responsibilities they may be exempt.
situations and, using real-life case studies, analyse the elements that may