Essential information on involving disabled people to ensure you understand your audience
The involvement of stakeholders is an increasingly important dimension of the government's modernisation agenda. Good communications practice means two-way communications: it is a dialogue rather than a monologue. Involvement is also the cornerstone of the Disability Equality Duty.
At the heart of this approach is the understanding that effective involvement is crucial to delivering high quality public services and to the development and delivery of effective communication strategies.
Wherever possible, and where the audience for an activity is disabled people, communications strategies should be based on research evidence involving them.
Disabled people are in any case part of most general audiences, which is why it is important to understand their needs and issues.
Involving disabled people is central to ensuring that you get communications right for everyone. Sustained involvement of disabled people will enable you to develop and deliver communications that include rather than exclude the one in five people in the UK covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Use the Engage principles to make your communications more effective by putting your audiences, including disabled people, first.
For further information, explore the background section of this guidance.
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