LOVE NEEDS NO WORDS ❤️

A Northern Ireland Lifelong Communication, Healthcare, Education & Technology Access Framework for all Nonspeaking People 

From Awareness to Action — Every Person Has Something to Say

We are calling on the Northern Ireland Executive, Department of Health, Department of Education, Education Authority and Health & Social Care services to establish a clear, lifelong and accountable communication-access pathway for Nonspeaking children, young people and adults.

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WHY WE ARE HERE

For six years, Love Needs No Words has worked to raise awareness for Nonspeaking children, teenagers and adults with disabilities.

Our campaign began from lived experience.

In 2019, we started our petition because we believed that Nonspeaking people deserved greater recognition, understanding and access to communication.

Since then, our Nonspeaking Awareness Day — 30 September — has grown beyond Northern Ireland and Ireland and reached an international audience.

But six years of awareness has taught us something important:

Awareness alone does not create access.

People can be aware of Nonspeaking people while systems continue to leave them waiting, excluded or dependent on individual professionals, schools and families to fight for communication access.

We believe it is now time to move:

FROM AWARENESS → TO ACTION.

FROM INDIVIDUAL ADVOCACY → TO SYSTEMIC RESPONSIBILITY.

FROM INCONSISTENT ACCESS → TO A LIFELONG PATHWAY.

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[The remainder of the petition remains exactly as the previous version, beginning with “THE PROBLEM” and continuing through the 11 demands, three-year implementation programme, 30 September accountability, and final call to action.]

NONSPEAKING DOES NOT MEAN VOICELESS.

COMMUNICATION IS NOT A LUXURY.

COMMUNICATION IS ACCESS.

COMMUNICATION IS DIGNITY.

EVERY PERSON HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.

LOVE NEEDS NO WORDS ❤️

Six years of awareness.

Now let's create change.