Archived Spotlight Information
This is information that has been published earlier on the home page of this website.
How the Scottish Parliament Works - Easy Read version now available
Following the BSL version the Scottish Parliament have now produced an easy-read publication on 'How the Scottish Parliament works'.
Click here for a link to the |pdf version.
Click here for a link to an order form for |large print, Braille, audio CD or audio cassette copies.
Alternatively you can contact the Scottish Parliament, Public Information Service at
sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Text phone: 0131 558 7676
Tel: 0131 348 5000
Fax: 0131 348 5601
May 2008
Equality and Human Rights Commission Single Equality Scheme
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched its single equality scheme.
"The scheme goes beyond the legal requirement to address gender, disability and race and also covers issues around age, sexual orientation, religion or belief and human rights. The Commission has a special position among public authorities as these duties are identical to its own remit. The Commission is also responsible for ensuring other public bodies meet the legal requirements of the equality duties."
A copy of the scheme is available on the Commission's website:
|www.equalityhumanrights.com/equalityscheme
April 2008
Open and accessible?
A thematic study into how social landlords share information about performance and governance.
Social housing tenants might be interested in Communities Scotland's study about open and accessible landlords across Scotland.
The study looks at
- the kind of information landlords provide,
- if they are providing the right sort of information to tenants and service users,
- if it is provided in a timely way and
- how easy it is to get the information.
Although some good practice examples have been found landlords need to do more to make sure that information is accessible to everyone.
|Communities Scotland - Open and accessible?
March 2008
Consultation on Revision of 'How to Write Your Disabled Persons' Protection Policy: A Guide for Train and Station Operators.
A Disabled Persons' Protection Policy must be produced by all station and train operators. The Department of Transport is reviewing the guidance it provides to operators about producing their policy.
Some of the changes proposed include aiming the policy specifically at disabled people and changing the title to 'Travel information for disabled passengers'.
The document will provide disabled passengers with a range of information for each stage of their journey.
Some of the headings include: accessible information, booking assistance, car parking, station access information, ramps, audio and visual announcements, what happens in an emergency, buses and taxis and how to provide feedback and complaints.
The deadline for your comments is Friday 23rd May 2008. Online copies of the consultation can be viewed at|www.dft.gov.uk/access/dppp. Audio copies can be obtained by contacting the Railways for All team:
Telephone: 020 7944 5284
Fax: 020 7944 6102
Email: railwaysforall@dft.gsi.gov.uk (please put 'DPPP Consultation' in the subject line.
April 2008
How the Scottish Parliament Works - BSL version now available
The Scottish Parliament publication How the Scottish Parliament works' is now available on their website Alternatively you can contact them to request a BSL DVD version either with captions or with a voice over.
|Scottish Parliament - Public Information Service
Contact the Scottish Parliament, Public Information Service at
sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Text phone: 0131 558 7676
Tel: 0131 348 5000
Fax: 0131 348 5601
January 2008
'Custom Eyes' books
The National Blind Children's Society makes books in big print to suit the exact needs of individual children and charges only the cover price of the original book.
There are over 1000 books to choose from. Click the link to view the titles.
|View the titles at www.nbcs.or.uk/customeyes
January 2008
The Scottish Government -
Online accessibility guide
The Scottish Government has recently published an online accessibility guide which provides you with information about how to make your computer easier to use.
The guide recommends that you consider using free software in order to make your computer more accessible before buying new equipment or hardware which might not be required.
|Scottish Government - online accessibility guide
If you have feedback about the guide contact their Digital Inclusion Policy Officer Christine.Gresswell@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
December 2007
Text the Scottish Parliament
A new text messaging service provided by the Scottish Parliament is currently on trial. You can use the service to get the name of you MSP, contact your MSP, ask questions about the the Parliament's work, send in feedback or request free leaflets. Find out more by clicking the link below for the Scottish Parliament.
|Scottish Parliament - text service page
December 2007
Family Advice and Information Resource (FAIR) - User-led Review
FAIR is an information and advice service for people with learning disabilities, their parents and carers and people who work with them. The organisation recently completed a review of it's monthly newsletter.
To assist them, FAIR piloted the SAIF publication Guide to User-led Reviews. The guide sets out how organisations can get feedback from disabled people about the accessibility of their services. It stresses the requirement to involve disabled people in the review, planning and development of services.
The FAIR report makes for interesting reading, both in terms of conclusions about the newsletter itself and the experiences and skills development of service users who carried out the work.
Copies of the FAIR report:
|FAIR report on User-led Review - pdf (76 kb)
|FAIR report on User-led Review - word (214 kb)
Copies of the FAIR newsletter can also be viewed by clicking the link below.
Do you think your organisation might be interested in carrying out a user-led review of a service you provide to disabled people? If so, SAIF would love to hear from you. Please contact Steve Harvey or Joanne Martin on 0141 226 5261 or at info@saifscotland.org.uk.
January 2008
The Social Model of Disability and Language
"Language use is not really difficult, there are a few simple rules which help you to understand what to say and why." Extract from The Social Model of Disability and its implications for language use. You can read the paper in its entirety by clicking on the link below.
|Social Model and Language - in pdf (53 kb)
August 2006
Does the Internet open up opportunities for disabled people?
This research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2004 examined whether the provision of information, goods and services through the Internet removes many of the access barriers faced by disabled people, or adds to them. Findings from the study included:
- Disabled Internet users who needed assistive devices to use a computer and the Internet found fewer websites that were easy to use and navigate that did those not using assistive devices.
- This same group of users had significant problems in identifying what to use, in affording it and in getting guidance or training with the equipment.
- Read the report by following the link below:
|Does the Internet open up opportunities for disabled people report - in pdf
June 2007
Report from the Picker Institute Europe: Accessing information about health and social care services
This new study on patients’ information produced for the Department of Health by the Picker Institute examines how patients, service users and carers currently find out about locally available services and how to access them.
|Accessing information about health and social care services report - in pdf
June 2007
Tip Cards: Improving the way GP Practices meet the needs of disabled people
The Fair for All - Disability team has been working in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland) to support GP Practices to improve access to disabled people. The new tip cards were developed from the Achieving Fair Access guidance published by Fair for All.
|Fair for All - Disability, Tip Cards
March 2007
Alternative formats policy
The Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS) team - also based in the Scottish Consumer Council and 3 offices along from SAIF - have recently revised their policy on the production of information in accessible formats. This policy provides useful information on what alternative formats and languages should be used.
|HRIS alternative formats policy - December 2006
January 2007
How to Say It - Simply!
The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD) is running How to Say It - Simply! on 21st March at UPDATE in Edinburgh and on 26th March at the SCLD in Glasgow. This is a new one-day training course about making information accessible. It is a practical course which builds confidence. What you learn on the day you can put into practice the next. For more information contact Clare Hayton, SCLD Training Administrator, on 0141 418 5420 or email clare.h@scld.co.uk
January 2007
Good Signs - Improving signs for people with a learning disability
This 2004 report by the Disability Rights Commission considers ways in which signs and other ways of giving directions can be made more accessible for people with learning disabilities.
The Duty to Promote Disability Equality
The statutory code of practice for Scotland is now available to download by clicking on Do the Duty .
December 2006
What's a Babel Fish?
Babel Fish provides free online text and web page language translation tools. Try it out at babel fish and let us know if you think it is useful and should be added to our site.
July 2006
Ouch!...it's a disability thing
Check out the BBC's online disability magazine containing columnists, features weblogs, podcasts, news, opinions and chat. Entertaining, challenging and contemporary.
May 2006
Changing
Britain for Good - 10 priorities for action
The DRC has launched 2 discussion papers "Changing Britain for Good: Putting disability at the heart of public policy" and "Putting disability at the heart of public policy in Scotland: Priorities for Action". The papers set out 10 priorities for achieving a society in which all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens. To read the papers visit |www.disabilitydebate.org
May 2006
E-accessibility of public sector services in the European
Union
"The accessibility and ease of use of internet-based services and products play a key role in allowing everyone to achieve their full potential and to participate fully in society. This is not just beneficial for the individual, but for society at large: it enhances an individual's opportunities in education and employment as well as health and social life, therefore having a significant potential economic impact."
This report on E-accessibility tests how well public services across the 25 member states of the European Union and the European Commission have been designed to meet this important objective.
E-accessibility is a critical requirement for any public service that is available online because it ensures that the benefits of service delivery are translated into reality for those groups of people who may face difficulty using, or even be excluded from, government information and services.
March 2006
See it right
The Royal National Institute for the Blind, (RNIB), has produced a pack of 12 booklets providing practical advice on designing, producing and planning for accessible information. The pack includes guidance on website design, large print, signs and tapes and can be ordered or printed from RNIB.
|See it right at RNIB's website
December 2005
Scottish
Disability Equality Forum (SDEF)
SDEF works for social inclusion in Scotland through the removal of barriers and the promotion of equal access for people affected by disability. They have their own guidelines for producing material in accessible formats, which can be downloaded from their website.
|SDEF guidelines to accessible formats
December 2005
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