Bendigo Health’s Stewart Cowen and John Lindell rehabilitation centres joined three other local businesses and institutes to receive the official tick of approval by disability service provider Scope last week.

Golden City Support Services, Radius Disability and the Bendigo Bank branch on Mitchell Street are the other places in Bendigo which are part of Scope’s Communication Access Network (CAN).

Buildings receive the Scope symbol once they demonstrate the steps they have taken to service people with communications difficulties, including making signage clearer, providing access to sign language interpreters and installing hearing loops.

Manager of Scope’s communication and inclusion resource centre, Denise West, said one in seven Australians will have a communication difficulty at some stage in their life.

“Imagine what it would be like if you were unable to speak or had difficulty getting your message across,” she said.

“Communication access aims to create a world where people who have speech and hearing difficulties are able to communicate successfully with everyone.”