.png)
.png)
Information
Accessible information about your work will mean that more people can understand it and get involved in your organisation.
Try to make only one inclusive version for your information. Creating separate versions of information takes up money and time.
Separate versions of information can also exclude people with intellectual disabilities from extra information other people get.
Many organisations, countries, or regions have standards or methods for creating accessible materials. For example, in Europe, there are Easy-To-Read standards created by the European Platform of Self-Advocates.
Self-advocates told us:
-
Most information is often long, complicated, and uses jargon or difficult language.
-
Self-advocates are the experts and must be included in the process of planning or making accessible information.
- When accessible information is produced organisations do not think about how it will reach people with intellectual disabilities. It is often difficult to find, for example on a website that most people do not know about.
-
Information is only provided in one format, like a written Easy Read document. Other options like videos are not considered even though they may be quicker and easier to understand.
-
Making information accessible to people with intellectual disabilities is often the last step and is a check box exercise. This does not lead to people really being included.
Good examples
Chosen Power: People First Hong Kong are a self-advocacy organisation in Hong Kong.
Chosen Power campaign for accessible materials. They produce accessible materials for all members. They are also paid to do this work by different organisations.
Their process is to review the information, break it up into short easy to understand parts and then plan images that will work with the text.
Two self-advocates of the group are the illustrator, base on the short and easy text, they design the images.
The document is reviewed and approved by inclusive audit team: this includes self-advocates and families before being shared.
A good example of this process is their COVID 19 information which was translated into many languages including sign language.
