Global Symbols and the UNITY Project
UNITY stands for Universal Court Documentation for Accessible Information for Vulnerable Victims. The EU co-funded project runs from June 2026 to May 2028 and is being implemented across Croatia, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and Portugal. It aims to improve the information and communication provided to women, older people and persons with disabilities within criminal justice systems. Read more about the UNITY Project.
Why the project is needed
People involved in criminal proceedings need to understand their rights, the legal process, the support available to them and how they may seek compensation. However, this information is often presented using legal jargon, complex documents and formal communication methods.
These barriers can be particularly serious for people with intellectual disabilities, people with communication disabilities and those who use AAC. Barriers may be compounded by ageism, ableism, sexism and a failure to identify or respond to individual communication needs.
UNITY is bringing together people with lived experience, organisations of persons with disabilities, criminal justice professionals, accessibility specialists and victim-support organisations to make legal information and communication more inclusive.
Our role in UNITY
Global Symbols, working through project partner SL Consult, will help UNITY develop approaches that respond to the needs of people who use AAC or benefit from symbol-supported communication.
Our contribution will include:
advising partners on accessible and inclusive communication;
supporting the use of AAC symbols alongside plain language and Easy-to-Read information;
helping to develop guidance for selecting, creating and presenting symbols within legal and victim-support materials;
promoting accessible layouts that work with different communication methods and assistive technologies;
contributing to the development of templates and practical tools for justice and victim-support professionals;
supporting the responsible use of generative AI to create or adapt accessible information;
encouraging the involvement of AAC users and people with lived experience in the co-design and testing of project resources; and
highlighting the importance of language, culture, age, gender and personal experience when designing symbol-supported information.
Symbols in access to justice
Symbols can help make complex information easier to understand, but they must be used carefully. A symbol should support meaning rather than oversimplify it or replace important legal information.
Legal concepts may be abstract, culturally specific or unfamiliar to existing symbol collections. Global Symbols will contribute a structured approach to identifying communication needs, selecting suitable symbols and developing new concepts where gaps exist. Materials will be tested with intended users to determine whether the language, symbols and layout communicate the intended meaning.
Supporting lasting change
UNITY will produce guidance, accessible templates, individual communication-needs assessment tools and training for criminal justice and victim-support professionals. It will also strengthen cooperation between courts, support services, accessibility specialists and organisations of persons with disabilities.
Through our involvement, Global Symbols will help ensure that AAC and symbol-supported communication are embedded within this wider approach to accessible justice. Our aim is to demonstrate how people with diverse communication needs can understand information, communicate their experiences and participate more fully in decisions that affect their rights and lives.
The UNITY Project—Universal Court Documentation for Accessible Information for Vulnerable Victims (101299215 – UNITY – JUST-2025-JACC-EJUSTICE)—is co-funded by the European Union.