Communication

Communication allows information, needs, intentions and meaning to move between people and systems. It is reciprocal. Functional communication depends on expression, reception, interpretation, context and the ability to establish whether meaning has actually b

HUMAN CAPACITY

Communication

Communication enables people to receive, express and use information across relationships, services and institutions.

An emoji keyboard is displayed on a phone

Communication includes receiving, expressing and using information through context-appropriate means. The form can vary — speech, text, sign, assistive technology, digital systems — while the underlying functional requirement remains.

This domain sits at the intersection of human capacity and institutional design. A person can have strong communication capacity and still be excluded by inaccessible language, poorly designed forms, technical jargon or systems that assume a particular mode of interaction.

Evidence & scientific lineage

World Health Organization. WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0). Cross-cultural measurement of functioning across cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along, life activities and participation. WHO — WHODAS 2.0

World Health Organization. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Contextual framework for functioning and disability, including environmental factors. WHO ICF

World Health Organization & UNICEF. Global report on assistive technology. Evidence and recommendations on access to assistive products and their role in participation and functioning. WHO — Global report on assistive technology

Human Capacity Initiative

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