Royal NationalInstitute for the Blind
Briefing forParty Agents
There are 2 million people in the UK with serious sightproblems. That's around 3,000 blind andpartially sighted people in each parliamentary constituency, of whom 97 percent are of voting age.
Only 60 per cent of blind and partially sighted people votedat the last General Election compared with 71.5 per cent of the total UKelectorate because taking part in elections can be difficult:
Printed campaign literature is hard to access.
Getting to the polling station can be a huge challenge.
Many people do not realise that they can get assistanceto vote at the polling station.
You can help make it easier for blind and partiallysighted people to have access to the coming General Election AND make sure yourcampaign messages get across to as many voters as possible by following RNIBssimple guidelines.
Please pass on thisinformation to everyone on your team, including volunteers and helpers. And ifyou need any further advice or information or have any comments about ourguidelines do not hesitate to get in touch with one of us.
Many thanks and best wishes,
Caroline Ellis, Dermot Ryan,
UK Parliamentary Officer. Campaigns Officer (Accessible Information).
Tel: 020 7391 2096 Tel: 020 7391 2026.
Caroline.Ellis@rnib.org.uk Dermot.Ryan@rnib.org.uk
How to make your campaign literatureaccessible
Makingprinted information available in other formats, such as large print or tape,for people with sight problems need not be difficult nor expensive. Blind andpartially sighted people now have a right to accessible information by law soits important to think ahead and plan how you will meet their needs.
Step one:Adopt RNIBs Clear Print Guidelines for all your leaflets and addresses - thatway they will automatically be accessible to the widest number of people. Clear Print benefits everyone.
Clear print documents use a minimum of 12 point(although RNIB recommends 14 to reach more voters with sight problems).
Stick to typefaces that people are used to and avoidhighly stylised or ornamental ones. Use a bold or semi-bold rather than lightweight.
Justify text to the left and keep spacing even.
Ensure good colour contrast (e.g. black type on whiteor yellow paper)
Use non-glossy paper.
Step two: Make sure you can make alternative formatsavailable on request.
Some blind and partially sighted people will only beable to read large print (usuallyranging from 16 to 24 point). You canproduce large print text easily yourself on a computer. So have your originaltext on disk at the ready.
Other blind and partially sighted people may needinformation on tape. It's easy to make a tape copy - using your own voice andwords in a personal recording is a great way of getting your messageacross. This can also help you reachpeople with learning difficulties and those who have low literacy levels.
A small minority need information in braille (a systemof raised dots which is read by touch). You will need to go to a professionaltranscriber to get braille copies made. Your local society for the blind andpartially sighted may be able to do this. Otherwise contact RNIBs PublicInformation Office on 020 7391 2397 for a list.
E-mail and web information may be crucial. Increasingnumbers of blind and partially sighted people and deafblind people are one-mail or use the Internet. They may use screen readers to enlarge text orsoftware, which translates the words on the screen into an audible or tactileform.
Computer disk is also increasing in popularity as a wayblind and partially sighted people read information.
Telephone canvassing is a cheap and effective way toreach many blind and partially sighted voters.
Other key tips:
Information in alternative formats or through differentmedia should be available without undue delay and you cannot charge people forit!
Dont be put off if you are on a shoestring budget.There are plenty of no-cost, low-cost options. Think carefully how you can sayyes before you say no!
Contact RNIBs Public InformationOffice on 020 7391 2397 for a summary copy of RNIBs See it Right guidelines orfind it on our website at www.rnib.org.uk/seeitright
Step 3: Publicise the factthat you have accessible campaign literature available for blind and partiallysighted voters!
Dont expect people with sight problems to demand accessibleinformation. Some have very lowexpectations. You need to be pro-active and let them know it is available.
State this clearly on your print leaflets so others caninform blind and partially sighted friends or relatives.
Get to know your local society for the blind. (You canget their details in a telephone directory or RNIBs Local Agencies Unit may beable to help on 020 7391 2256). They have direct contact with many blind andpartially sighted people and are an excellent means of passing on information.
Make the most of local radio - about a third of blindand partially sighted people listen to it.
Let day centres, clubs and residential care homes forolder people knowMost people lose their sight when they are older so they willhave a higher proportion of users with sight problems.
Got a web-site or thinkingof setting one up? You will need tomake sure it is accessible to visually impaired people. Dont worry, it isnt rocket science. Visit www.rnib.org.uk/digital to find outhow.
It will be much easier for blind and partially sightedpeople and other disabled people to vote at the coming General Election. For the first time, every polling station isrequired to have:
At least one large print copy of the ballot paper ondisplay for partially sighted voters.
A new voting assistance device to enable blind andpartially sighted voters to vote independently.
Plus it is no longeronly registered blind people who are entitled to vote with the assistance of acompanion this now applies to any voter with another "physicalincapacity", or who is unable to read.
Remember disabled voters can also vote with the assistanceof the presiding officer. Your local councils electoral services department shouldbe able to give you more information.
There has been noofficial public education campaign to make blind and partially sighted andother disabled people aware of these changes. We fear this may lead to somepeople failing to vote because they think it will be too difficult. Pleasedo all you can to make visually impaired and other disabled voters in yourconstituency aware of the new arrangements.
The greatestchallenge may well be getting to the polling station in the first place. Organisingtransport for voters who have limited vision and offering to guide them intothe polling station is a good idea. RNIB's Public Information Office providesleaflets explaining the best way to guide a blind person.
Please check peopleknow that they can choose to vote by post or proxy for this particular electionor indeed for a longer or indefinite period. The rules are that anyone cannow vote by post. You can ask for a postal vote either on a one-off basis for aparticular election or for a set period without having to give a reason. You do have to give a reason for wanting aproxy vote - "physical incapacity or blindness" is one of the grounds. Do offer people assistance with fillingin the form and make sure they know the deadline for returning it to the electoralregistration office.
If you want more information about the new provisions onassistance with voting for disabled people or absent voting consult your localelectoral registration office.
For further informationplease contact:
Caroline Ellis, Dermot Ryan,
UK Parliamentary Officer. Campaigns Officer (Accessible Information).
Tel: 020 7391 2096 Tel: 020 7391 2026.
Caroline.Ellis@rnib.org.uk Dermot.Ryan@rnib.org.uk
RNIB Public PolicyDepartment, March 2001.