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Section
E:
Involving Socially Excluded or Harder to Reach Groups
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People with Disabilities
Bradford Council endorses a social model of disability, believing that people are not disabled by their condition or impairment but by the way that social, physical or attitudinal barriers are created by society. Any consultation therefore needs to identify how barriers to participation by disabled people can be broken down or overcome.Disabled people are not a homogenous group, and different issues need to be considered when consulting with different groups of people. This section gives some general guidelines about consulting with disabled people, however, much more detailed guidelines about contact with disabled people can be found in the Council’s guide to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 “Managers Guidelines: Removing Barriers to Employment and Service Delivery. A good practice document for Bradford Managers”, which is available on BRADWEB.
Mobility Impairments
There are a number of issues to take into account when wanting to consult with residents who have a mobility impairment. When consulting with people who have a mobility impairment the venue is very important. The following points need to be considered- Is there ramped access to the building?
- Is the event on the ground floor? If not is there a lift large enough too take a wheelchair?
- Are any break out rooms within easy access of the main event?
- Are there accessible toilets?
- People may have a mobility impairment but not use a wheelchair, and it is important to meet their needs.
- People who use wheelchairs may find transport difficult as public transport may not be accessible. It might be beneficial to use accessible taxis or a minibus.
Hearing Impairments
Many people experience a loss of hearing. If people use a hearing aid they may benefit from an induction loop. This is a system that is fitted around the perimeter of a room. This can be a fixed or portable system. There is a special setting on hearing aids to enable the user to hear conversation through a microphone within the loop. It is important to remember that to be effective the system is used in conjunction with a microphone. All speakers have to use the mike at all times and you will need a roving mike for questions from the floor. In a group discussion people will have to speak one by one and use the mike when they do speak. Many people lip read so it is important to face the hearing impaired person when you speak. Lip reading alone is not sufficient and is better as an additional aid to communication.British Sign Language (BSL)
Many deaf people use BSL as a means of communication. It is a language in its own right combining facial expression, hand movements and body language. BSL has its own grammar and structure. It is Council Policy to use qualified sign language interpreters and these can be booked through the Centre for Sensory Needs at Morley Street (tel: 01274 435001). The Centre can give advice on whether to book interpreters or communicators and how many may be needed. As with all interpreting it is very intensive work and you may need more than one interpreter. Again it is important to remember that the interpreter is translating the deaf persons comments and all questions should be addressed directly to the deaf person.Lip Speaking
Some people may prefer a lip speaker as an aid to communication, again the Centre for Sensory Needs can advise but it is important to ask all people what assistance they may need before they attend. Many people may be disabled with no outward sign. If planning a consultation event it is important to have space on the invitation forms to let people tell you what they might need. For specialist advice about involving people with hearing impairments contact the Centre for Sensory Needs (tel: 01274 435001).Visual Impairment
When producing written information consider how this can be made accessible to people with a visual impairment. People with a visual impairment use a variety of methods to access written material. It is important to remember that colour and light are key parts of vision. The contrast of type on paper and the font used can have an effect on ease of reading. In general use a simple font, Arial is recommended, use left hand alignment for text as this gives people a starting point on each line. Try to consider the colours you use shades of the same colour for paper and text can be harder to read. A good contrast is best. If you are trying to make material accessible for visually impaired people it is important to consider the whole event, are signs and name badges large enough? Are you planning on using video, Powerpoint or OHP's? These all need to be either thoroughly explained or large enough to be seenLarge Print
Any written material should be in size 12 as a minimum although RNIB recommend size 14. If your consultation is specifically aimed at visually impaired people then use 16 point bold, as it is estimated that over two thirds of visually impaired people can read text at that size. However, vision is individual and people will have a preferred size of font. It is important to ask people what they prefer, this can be done on invitations to events. The Access to Print Unit can translate documents into large print.Braille
People who have little or no vision may prefer information in Braille. Documents can be translated into Braille relatively cheaply and quickly by the Access to Print Unit at Bradford Library. However, you need to be aware that there are relatively few fluent Braille readers (approximately 40,000 nation wide out of an estimated 1 million people with a visual impairment).Tape
The Access to Print Unit can also translate documents onto tape, it will depend on individual preference and the length and type of documents whether people prefer tape or Braille. It is best to ask people what they prefer.The signage for any meetings also needs to be considered. Make it large enough for most partially sighted people to read.
Consulting with visually impaired people in their own homes is an option to consider.
For specialist advice about involving people with a visual impairment contact the centre for sensory needs (tel: 01274 435001). The Access to Print Unit is based at Bradford Central Library (tel: 01274 433675)
Speech Impairments
People with speech impairments may find it harder to participate in meetings, group discussions or focus groups. This does not mean that they do not want to participate. It is important to take the time to allow them to speak. If you do not understand then ask them to repeat, do not try to guess or pretend to understand as this will only cause confusion. They may be able to write comments down or ask a support worker to explain. If an individual is working with a support worker then remember to direct questions to the individual and not the support worker.Dyslexia
People who have dyslexia may find written material difficult, focus groups and interviews can be beneficial as they do not rely on written material. Some people with dyslexia find that coloured paper can be a real help in reading and may request blue paper. If there are handouts then it is helpful if people can have them prior to the meeting so people have a chance to digest the meaning at home. Stress can affect the ability to read.People with a Learning Disability
There are about 1400 people with a learning disability in the Bradford District. Creating opportunities where people can express their views and get involved in a way that suits them is the challenge. Thinking about how you look and come across is important, since people in ‘suits’ may be seen as ‘authority’ and inhibit or scare some people. Similarly, ‘Council badges’ give a similar impression. Letting people know your name and what you do is important, but a formal council badge may not be a good idea. It will also be useful to think about how you will explain what the council does and what you want to talk to them about. ‘Body Language’ can be important – don’t look as though you are in a rush, think about how you are coming across.A consultation exercise with people with learning disabilities may take longer than some – that doesn't’t mean a longer meeting, but it may mean fitting less into a session and allowing more time for people to understand and talk around the issues. It might be that you need to rethink how you present information completely by using pictures, visual images, videos or story boards.
Designing a consultation project for this target group will require some expertise in order to make the exercise effective and worthwhile for both researcher and participants. BRADFORD PEOPLE FIRST are a good organisation to make contact with if you want to consult with people with a learning disability. (See the information about them at the end of this section) They can advise on making information more accessible, providing someone with you in meetings that can ‘translate’ what you are saying, or support in order to participate e.g. personal assistance, signers, community language translation. In addition, further information on planning a consultation project for people with a Learning Disability is available from Pat Fairfax at the Community Development Policy Unit (details at in Appendix A).
| Section D | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | Section A |
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Introduction and Framework Section A Section B Section C Section D Section E |
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