Laura Jacques

Stats of those who self-classify as having a disability in the UK

Importance of accessibility in Legacy Fundraising

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Top tips:

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Be clear

Information needs to be plain and simple, avoid jargon and anachronisms. For example those who are neurodiverse may need important points put in writing for clarification. Offer options to provide bigger fonts/recorded letters.

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Ask and Check

Whether it is F2F or hosting an event ask and check if the supporter has any specific needs. On a invitation make it a requirement to ask if they have any additional requirements relating to a disability, hearing loss or visual impairment etc…

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Throughout regularly check in with participants to ensure everyone is happy and following what is being said.

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Take breaks

In long meetings, ensure there are regular breaks, e.g 10 minutes every hour. Note that it is usual for BSL interpreters to swap over every 15 minutes, so allow time for this too.

Importance of accessibility in Legacy Fundraising ��Top tips: ��If you are doing a pre TM DM campaign, ask for their accessibility requirements. ��Work with solicitors to ensure they offer BSL interpreters and accessible solutions for clients drafting their Will.��Consider investing in Widgit to create easy read guides – a system of pictorial symbols that can be used in different ways to support communication. It’s used mainly by children and adults with learning disabilities and additional support and learning needs to support literacy.�

Top Tips

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Tools and technologies we can utilise

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Text overlay:

Bad example

Good example

Colours:

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For those with a sight loss or experience of colour blindness, think about the use of colour – there are colour combinations you should avoid such as:

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• Green and brown
• Blue and purple
• Green and blue
• Light green and yellow
• Blue and grey
• Green and grey
• Green and black

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The use of colour is a very effective tool to help your users navigate your platform. Focus indicators are crucial and need to be at least a 3:1 contrast ratio.

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How to create an inclusive workplace:

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Have a strong chair person

• Challenge any disabling practices, such as speaking with your hand over your mouth or activities which may exclude participants based on mobility, hearing or sight.
• People should take great care not to talk over each other. Only one person should speak at a time. The facilitator/chair person should be strict about this and manage the meeting well.
• Make sure you are aware of any interpreters. For regular meetings, the chair person should be aware and make note of people’s requirements
• Ensure that all members have an opportunity to participate, including allowing time for interpreters to keep up with a discussion. Fast flowing or hectic conversation can be difficult to follow.

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Plan ahead - Where possible, send papers and the agenda in advance

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Virtual meetings

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• Ask that people avoid backgrounds which affect their visibility, such as blur or brightly coloured pictures. Make sure you are well lit, avoid sitting in dark areas/in front of window.
• If your meeting is via Microsoft Teams, ask participants to switch on the live captions function so that mistranslations can be addressed immediately. If you use Zoom, enable the caption function
• Ask participants, where possible, to have their cameras on, many Deaf / deaf people like to be able to see who is speaking alongside watching the BSL Interpreter.
• Use the hand function on Microsoft Teams or Zoom if you want to ask a question so you avoid talking over each other.
• Use the message facility (chat) to write messages / ask questions.
• If you have a BSL interpreter on the call ensure that the person who is Deaf/deaf is able to ‘pin’ them to their screen.

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Recordings

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• Deaf people may find it difficult to make notes if watching an interpreter or reading captions. Blind or partially-sighted people may similarly have difficulty with making notes and would benefit from an audio recording.
• If video/audio recording is not possible, then an additional ‘note taker’ will be required to make an accurate transcript of the meeting.
• Ensure that transcripts and meeting minutes are shared in the formats of choice: this might involve making audio recordings, Braille, large print etc.
• For those with a sight loss, make sure you describe any diagrams or chart, avoid animated ‘text effects.’ Also keep representation visually clean and simple.
• Try to avoid jargon and stick to plain English.
• Automated captions don’t like Acronyms, for example CTA – say Call to Action, keep transparent.

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Thank you