Inclusive Communication Hub www.inclusivecommunication.scot

Inclusive Communication Hub Learn Share Resources Case Studies Blogs News and Events specific to Inclusive Communication The Inclusive Communication Hub is Scotland’s first Inclusive Communication Hub. The Hub was launched on 21 November 2016 at the Equal Scotland Live Conference, in Glasgow. This Hub is aimed at anyone with an interest in improving their inclusive communication tools and processes. The Hub aims to promote inclusion and accessibility in its content and structure. Throughout this Hub you will find helpful resources in the Library, Case Studies and Blogs from employers and individuals, details of training and the latest news on Inclusive Communication. The concept of Inclusive Information is simple: make everything easy to access, simple to understand and your message will go further. This Hub provides tools and guidance on how to make your information accessible. Through the promotion of the site, there has been a healthy interest in what the site is and what it aims to achieve for disabled people, staff, employers and professionals. Disability Equality Scotland and Sense Scotland are both funded from The Scottish Government to develop this Inclusive Communication Hub. Sense Scotland have produced and published a wide variety of Case Studies and Resources. We also have a Steering Group and Reference Group in place to assist us with the development, ensuring the usability and quality of resources are in line with Inclusive Communication expectations.

What is Inclusive Communication Inclusive communication relates to all modes of communication: Written information Online information Telephone Face to face Inclusive communication means sharing information in a way that everybody can understand. For service providers, it means making sure that you recognise that people understand and express themselves in different ways. For people who use services, it means getting information and expressing themselves in ways that meet their needs. Inclusive communication relates to all modes of communication: Written information Online information Telephone Face to face Inclusive communication makes services more accessible for everyone. It will help to achieve successful outcomes for individuals and the wider community. It enables people to live more independently and to participate in public life. Source: The Scottish Government’s definition of inclusive communicationhttp://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/09/14082209/5

Top Tips Getting support Inclusive Events Inclusive Presentations Understanding your audience Communicating The Inclusive Communication Hub has a range of top tip articles to help you understand how to improve your inclusive communications. These articles range from developing inclusive events and presentations, to understanding who your audience is and how to communicate with them.

Education & Employment Inclusive Communication Resources Children & Families Crime & Justice Culture This hub is full of helpful resources written by individuals, organisations and groups across Scotland working to improve Inclusive Communications. You can pick from the following resource categories: Children & Families Crime & Justice Culture Education & Employment Health & Social Care Transport & Travel These six categories are just for starters and more will be added we gather more resources and content. Education & Employment Health & Social Care Transport & Travel

Why use Inclusive Communication Increased engagement Enables more people to be independent Avoids discrimination Fit for purpose services Stronger social inclusion There are strong legal and business reasons for adopting inclusive communication. Helps people in communities to lead independent lives Helps public authorities avoid discrimination The business case for use of inclusive communication is clear. It provides benefits in terms of both cost and user satisfaction. If services are designed around the needs of the people who use them, they will be more cost effective, user friendly and fit for purpose. If the service provider is getting it right the first time, the people who use their services will understand and communicate their needs straight away.

Case Studies How a Range of AAC Methods have Supported Participation within Sense Scotland’s Service User Consultation Group Making written web content accessible using text readers Dyslexia Alert Cards Inclusive Communication Advisory Group Access for all – it’s all of our business! And many more… Sense Scotland, individuals and other organisations have contributed their wealth of knowledge and expertise in writing case studies for the hub. The case studies are perfect examples of how we should all adopt an inclusive communication method in our ways of working and general day to day communications.

Training Improve your learning Visual Impairment Awareness Augmentative and Alternative Communication Making Communication even better Access2Learning Deaf Awareness And many more… We have also gathered information on training courses related to Inclusive Communication. We always advise through the hub and no one should implement any form of inclusive communication without training to ensure quality and consistency of implementation. If you are aware of any training courses not listed, please get in touch and share this with us.

Glossary Accessible information Easy Read Makaton Moon Palantypist Reasonable adjustment And many more… We have put together a useful list of glossary terms regular used in the context of inclusive communication. If you have identified any term we have missed, please do get in touch and share this with us.

Spread the word… Website Newsletters News Articles Social Media Key Messages Let’s Talk about it… We have developed a promotional toolkit to help others share the Inclusive Communication Hub as far as wide as possible. We want everyone to know about this hub. The resources, case studies, blogs and articles all help to raise awareness of what Inclusive Communication is and will help

Over to you… Do you think the Inclusive Communication Hub is a useful resource? What type of resources do you think might be useful on the hub? Do you have or know of any further resources we can link to? How likely are you to share this hub with your networks? Who do you think we should be sharing this hub with? Workshop Questions: 10-15 minutes Feedback: 10 minutes Future plans for the hub: Quarterly newsletters with sign up option from home page Comments and ratings option against resources, to gauge usefulness of each resource item Working with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists on an Inclusive Communication Nation Campaign Thank you so much for your time today and listening to me. I hope this presentation has helped you understand more about the Inclusive Communication Hub. If you would like to find out more or join us, our membership is free and you can contact us direct or complete a membership form online.