Apply the following checklist to individual projects to help you to provide an effective service to disabled people
Once you have established your strategy, be flexible. There are no hard-and-fast rules on what you must provide. A bit of lateral thinking may help.
Involve your audience/customers in developing and reviewing the strategy – they usually know what their needs are better than you do and may be able to suggest more effective ways of meeting them. Disability organisations will also give advice if asked.
Anticipate the needs of your various audiences in advance of being asked and assess which, if any, accessible format versions are likely to be required.
Budget for producing information in accessible formats at the beginning of the financial year, or at the outset of each project/campaign. Don't leave it until the last minute.
Involve the relevant departments which might include marketing, communications or e-communications from the earliest planning stages.
Plan ahead – if you are producing accessible formats, it is good practice to make sure that they are available at the same time as the standard print.
Keep it simple – if your initial document is written in plain English, is as concise as possible and is designed to be as legible as possible, it will be accessible to a greater number of people and may reduce demand for alternative versions.
If you intend to supply accessible formats on demand, procedures should be in place to produce them within a few days if requested.
Providing an acceptable on demand service may be possible only where few requests are received. In the event of a consultation, you should ensure the period for consultation is not reduced for disabled people because alternative formats were not available at the launch or ran out during the consultation period.
,