Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 124
The accessibility of the Government’s communications to disabled people during the pandemic has been poor...
Recommendation
The accessibility of the Government’s communications to disabled people during the pandemic has been poor from the outset of lockdown in March. The Government has been far too slow to address concerns, notably about the lack of British Sign Language interpretation of government television briefings. Accessibility should have been baked in from the start. Much of what is being asked for could be simply achieved, often at low cost, and bring considerate benefit to disabled people. We recommend the Cabinet Office implement in full the list of accessible communications asks from RNID and other charities. We expect real progress to have been made towards this by the time the government responds to this Report and urge full implementation no later than the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states its desire for accessible information and its ongoing efforts to provide it in accessible ways, working with disability organizations, but does not commit to fully implementing the specific list of asks from RNID and other charities by the recommended deadline.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
124
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
It is vital that public information on COVID-19 is accessible to all, which is why the Government is committed to improving key COVID-related communications in a way that is accessible and inclusive. Progress in this area means that: • Important health communications, for example, regarding COVID-19 symptoms, Stay Alert and NHS Test and Trace content, are available in alternative formats, including Easy Read, British Sign Language and Audio. • COVID-19 statements and speeches from the Prime Minister are now also made available in transcript form on GOV.UK, aligning with accessibility standards. • The BBC News Channel now broadcasts government press conferences with British Sign Language (BSL), and iPlayer uploads shortly afterwards and since 21 May 2020, the BBC has made their BSL interpretation video feed available to all other broadcasters and to Number 10, for use on government social channels. In this important endeavour, the Government has welcomed many partnerships, including with disability organisations, that have helped to get critical messages and advice across to everyone. For example, The Senior Lead on Accessible Information, and colleagues from the National Resilience Communications Hub, meet disability groups on a monthly basis through a communications working group. The group is briefed on the latest COVID-19 guidance and accessible assets, and works to ensure that communications to disabled people continue to be accessible and timely. 14 Fourth Special Report of Session 2019–21 The Disability Unit, part of the Equality Hub at the heart of government, worked with the RNIB to transcribe gov.uk pages on general COVID-19 guidelines and financial advice into spoken word formats. This guidance was made available on RNIB phone lines. The Government has made significant progress on the issues identified in the list from RNID and other charities, which outlined a set of concerns relating specifically to disabled people and the availability of accessible information during the pandemic. The full list can be seen in Annex A.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗