This section offers guidance for information and advice providers. It focuses on how to meet the needs of disabled people and also to ensure their involvement in the planning and delivery of services. It is particularly designed for generalist agencies that do not specialise in meeting the needs of disabled people. It is designed to provide such bodies with a range of tools to assist with compliance.
These Standards relate only to the provision of information and advice. Where an organisation provides a range of other services it is reasonable to only apply these Standards to the section of the agency providing information and advice. However, there may be aspects of the Standards, particularly those involving disabled people in planning services, which could usefully be applied to other areas of work.
The model we have used for the development of these Standards is a dynamic one that should allow for constant improvement. This means that the Standards are a tool to ensure a process that will help providers of services involve disabled people in both the planning and delivery of information and advice.
In developing this section we are aware of the financial pressures upon many agencies. Depending upon the circumstances in individual agencies there may be some cost implications in implementing the Standards. These costs will need to be balanced against both an agency’s other priorities and the potential cost of non-compliance with the new legislation.
Funding is more likely to be released to support the work if an organisation has clear objectives and a clear strategy for realising these objectives. In addition, involving your users in the planning of services is likely to ensure that resources are allocated in the most efficient and effective ways.
These Standards are not designed to replace other standards or quality systems within which your organisation is currently working. They are intended to supplement these to ensure that disabled people can access information and advice in a way that is effective and meaningful to them.
The Standards are presented in four sections:
Governing to Ensure Accessibility,
Developing Your Service to Ensure Accessibility,
Managing Your Service to Ensure Accessibility,
Involving Disabled People and their Representatives.
In each section the Standard is presented in bold text followed by an explanation and good practice notes. A useful self-assessment checklist can be found towards the back of this handbook to help you monitor and review your agency’s compliance with the Standards.
Resources currently exist, and others are being developed, to assist agencies in meeting these Standards. For example, HomePoint has developed training modules on working with staff and volunteers for information and advice providers. The Telephone Helplines Association provides guidance on standards for telephone and other electronic information services. Similarly, much is available from Advice UK and Citizens Advice Scotland and other advice networks. A contact list of useful addresses is provided at the end of these Standards. SAIF works with UPDATE, Scotland’s national disability information service, developing additional resources for agencies.
Go to the next page: Standard One - Governing to Ensure Accessibility
(c) Scottish Accessible Information Forum, 2007
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