Inclusive communication
How to produce communications that include, accurately portray, and are accessible to disabled people.
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Details
This guidance aims to help you to:
- communicate using inclusive language and know which words to use and avoid when writing about disability
- include disabled people in your communications and campaigns and make sure that they’re portrayed positively and realistically
- make sure your communications are accessible
- choose and use appropriate communication channels to reach disabled people
Nearly 17 million people in the UK (25% of the population) have a disability, according to the latest estimates from the Family Resources Survey. Communicators must be confident their messages will reach everyone, including disabled people. This can be done by ensuring all communications are inclusive and accessible.
This guidance was originally written for government communicators but it may also be useful to others.
Updates to this page
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This guidance has been updated to include the British Sign Language (BSL) Act 2022 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards. It features a new section on managing external suppliers and procurement timelines. We have also updated disability statistics, inclusive language guidelines, and text formatting recommendations to prioritise digital-first HTML content over PDFs. Finally, new advice has been added regarding accessible online meeting platforms.
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Updated "Accessible communication formats" with new guidance on using images in easy read publications. The image must go left of the words rather than above or below the words.
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Added links to guidance on publishing accessible information online.
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First published.