Image from Medicine Hat Police Service

By Chris Brown

Visual aid

New card will improve communication between police and motorists

Jan 14, 2021 | 11:56 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat police now have a new tool to aid in communication with motorists who are still learning the English language or struggle to communicate for other reasons.

The visual card allows officers to point to what they need from the motorist and tell them what violation has occurred. The motorist can then point to the best way for the officer to communicate with them.

“If they are involved in a traffic stop then both themselves and the police officer would have more of a symbol to explain what going on because everybody gets nervous when you are involved in a traffic stop,” Marie-Claude Scahill, manager of settlement at Saamis Immigration, said on Friday. “So this also eases that part for the newcomers to either tell the police officer what’s kind of going on what help they need but also from the police officer’s perspective to explain to the newcomer what is going on.”

Scahill adds they’ll be using it in their language classes and the card is also a good educational tool for newcomers as they transition into driving in Canada.

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“When we offer our driving preparation course helping people study with the book this also will go hand in hand with what a traffic stop might look like and what are thing things that get asked,” she said. “Purely for the educational and learning this is going to be great.”

Carolyn Maynes, a speech-language pathologist with Alberta Health Services, says high-stress situations such as traffic stops can make communication even more challenging and a visual aid can alleviate that.

“Visual supports, such as picture symbols, can be a valuable tool for people with communication challenges, augmenting their ability to independently share and understand information,” she says.

A similar card has been used in Edmonton. The local Advisory Committee on Disability Issues created a working group that included representatives from Medicine Hat Police Services, the Speech-Language Pathology department with Alberta Health Services, Saamis Immigration Services Association and Brain Injury Relearning Services.

“The fundamental purpose of the MHPS is to serve and protect the community,” says Insp. Brent Secondiak. “To accomplish this, we must be aware of the needs of various groups to ensure we are providing accessible and responsible policing services to all people in the community equally. We commend the community stakeholders who were involved in the development of this card for their efforts to increase awareness and bridge potential gaps in service delivery.”

All MHPS members have been issued cards and are encouraged to keep the card in their vehicle. The cards have also been distributed to current Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada students and newly arrived newcomers under the Resettlement Assistance Program through Saamis Immigration as well to local AHS Speech-Language Pathologists and members of the deaf/hard of hearing communities.

For more information or to access a copy of the communication card contact Leslie Jerry, community inclusion coordinator at 403-502-8086 or lesjer@medicinehat.ca.