From October 13 to 15, 2025, a special congress on the topic of “I am-not-speechless” took place in Basel / Switzerland. It was primarily aimed at people who have little or no ability to communicate verbally. The aim was to provide them with a platform. A total of around 80 people took part in the three-day congress.

It was interesting to see that language barriers did not arise anywhere. Neither during the panel discussion using tablets and talkers, in the discussion groups on facilitated / assisted communication, during the reading of texts, nor in the presentation of biographical contributions. The music, singing, and concerts, for example by the brilliant band “Los Inkluidos”, contributed significantly to breaking down language barriers.

At the end of the congress, there was a joint walk to the market square in the city centre, where everyone sang farewell to each other and to the city of Basel. The certainty remains that no one is speechless per se, but that the means to understand other people are (still) lacking.