Communication rights moderated through hierarchies of disability and childhood

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” (United Nations, 1948) and Article 2 says that the right to communication should occur “without distinction of … language.” These powerful statements underscore that all people have the right to communicate. This right, however, is often not met for children with communication disabilities whose families do not speak the dominant language of the community. Case studies from Australia, Fiji, Iceland, and Vietnam help elaborate hierarchies of disability human rights relating to communication.