Why this matters
We believe that communication is a gateway to accessing our human rights.
What is “Communication for All”?
Communication for all means sharing information in a way that everybody can understand. It includes all forms of communication – written, online, phone calls, and face to face.
Inclusive communication is about making sure everyone can access different communication methods. Like BSL-English interpreters, Electronic Notetakers, Easy Read, Braille, sending out letters in Large Print, and being able to text or email instead of phoning to arrange an appointment.
Although both the Equality Act 2010 and the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 offer useful protections, currently people in Scotland do not have clear a legal right to inclusive communication. This leads to a postcode lottery when it comes to communication support, and significant inequalities for people.
Sign up to our campaign to ensure communication for all – because communication is about more than just words.
Our research
Our research shows that most Scottish public bodies, like councils and Health Boards, do not track if or how they provide communication support. This means they can’t plan for communication for all. Also, most people who work for these public bodies don’t complete inclusive communication training. Without proper training, it’s difficult for people to support communication for all.
People who use communication support have shared their experiences with us. They say:
“It matters because it is a human right, and it makes life equal.”
“Nobody would say she wasn’t an academic child who was doing well, but actually she was capable of so much more, but because she was Deaf they were going to limit her opportunities.”
“Local council: I asked for Large Print, they said they couldn’t do it. Oh yes you can! They said, ‘our computer doesn’t do large print’!”
Scotland can and must do better. When we get communication for all right, everyone benefits.
You can sign up to our campaign here.
Our full report in written English is available at the bottom of this page, along with Easy Read and executive summaries.
A BSL video of our summary report, with captions and voice-over, is available below.