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Women with DisAbilities Bridges to Employment Opportunities - DAWN Ontario: DisAbled Women's Network

Information Needs of
Women with disAbilities

 

 



When considering how you can best disseminate information to Women with a range of disAbilities, it may be necessary to present your message in a number of different formats.

The quick reference table at the end of this document lists a number of formats that may be useful for the needs of various audiences.

The next section of the document explains each format, the disability group for which it is commonly used and the ways in which you can advertise the availability of these formats.

 

Women with a vision impairment

The definition of vision impairment includes Women who are blind and Women who have limited vision. At least 75 per cent of Women with a vision impairment have some functional vision and only a small percentage of Women have no useful vision.

If you provide information only in standard print you are effectively excluding this group from access to it. Likewise, using the print media to advertise the availability of information in accessible formats means that some of the Women for whom it is intended won't know that it is available.

Producing information in disk, large print, audio and Braille formats will go some way towards meeting the information needs of Women who are blind or severely vision impaired. Publicising the availability of the information through Radio or the Internet will mean that it is more likely to reach its target audience.

It will not always be necessary to hold large quantities of materials in a range of accessible formats. There will be occasions when it is sufficient to advertise that information can be provided in Braille or on audio cassette, on request.

The following are examples of what you can do to make a woman with a vision impairment feel at ease and to facilitate communication:
  • Speak clearly in a normal voice - most Women who have a vision impairment can hear clearly and therefore there is no need to raise your voice. The woman may not be able to 'see' you, but is probably very perceptive about the direction of sound;


  • Make sure that you are facing the woman - if you continually look away while still talking to the woman, she may take offence, perceiving, that you are not interested in her;


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  • Verbalise your thoughts and feelings because the woman may not be able to see non-verbal cues;


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  • Feel comfortable using words such as 'look' and 'see'. They are words that Women with a vision impairment also use;


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  • When meeting Women who have a vision impairment, address them by name and always introduce yourself by name;


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  • When entering or leaving a room say something that announces your presence or intention to leave, saving the woman the embarrassment of speaking to an empty space; and


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  • If the woman is accompanied by a guide dog, do not pat it, or otherwise distract the dog from its work.


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Women who have a hearing impairment

The definition of hearing impairment includes Women who are deaf and Women who have very limited hearing.

Many Women who are deaf use a sign language called ASL(Amercian Sign Language) or LSQ as their preferred mode of communication. Many of these Women do not regard themselves as disabled by their deafness, viewing themselves as members of a specific language group and generally referring to themselves as the Deaf community.

Women with a hearing impairment will generally use printed material as their main source of information. The Internet and electronic mail are a popular mode of communication for Women who are deaf or hearing impaired.

When organising a public meeting or consultation you may need to think about providing aids to oral communication to ensure that Women with a hearing impairment have equal access to information and are able to participate in discussion. Such arrangements could include:
  • Provision of a hearing induction loop in the meeting room;


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  • Engaging a sign language interpreter for participants who are Deaf;


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  • Providing written material to accompany oral presentations; and


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  • Ensuring that any videos screened at the meeting have captions (subtitles).
The following are examples of what you can do to make a woman with a hearing impairment feel at ease and to facilitate communication:
  • Get the woman's attention before speaking to else or else she might not realise that you are talking to her - a tap on the arm or shoulder is acceptable;

  • Make sure that you are facing the woman and that you do not lower your head or turn away as this can reduce the volume of your voice;

  • Remember that Women with a hearing impairment often lip-read as a means to understand what is being said, so it is important that she can see your face clearly. If a woman is lip-reading, do not chew or obstruct the view of your lips when speaking as this can distort the message;

  • Do not speak with your back to a light source such as a window, as this puts your face into shadow and makes lip-reading very difficult;

  • Speak clearly and slowly. You may need to speak louder than usual but do not speak too loudly as this can distort the sound, particularly if the woman is using a hearing aid;

  • Enunciate each word clearly, but don't over exaggerate your expression;

  • Be aware that you may need to repeat words. If repeating what you have said does not assist the woman, rephrasing your sentence may help;

  • Move to a quieter location if the woman is having more than their usual trouble hearing you;

  • Do not talk while walking away as the woman will probably not be able to hear you; and

  • If all else fails write it down, it is better to communicate clearly through writing than to either pretend you understand or to totally ignore the woman.

There are also a number of modifications which can be made to information and communication practices to ensure that Women who have a hearing impairment have equal access.

For example, use of a TTY (telephone typewriter) and/or the Bell Relay Service can enable Women who are deaf and hearing impaired to communicate on the telephone.

TTY (Telephone Typewriter)

A telephone typewriter (TTY) uses the telecommunications network to transmit text messages between telephone typewriters. The user types a message on to a keyboard or a computer that is connected to a telephone handset or modem.

Access to a TTY means that people who are hearing impaired, or who have a speech impairment, can access the requested information in the same way as other people. It also enables staff to have immediate and direct contact with clients who may have a hearing impairment.

A TTY is not difficult to use, and is just like any other communication over the phone, except you type rather than speak. Some important terminology to be aware of:

GA - means 'go ahead' and is typed after you have finished a sentence and want the other person to respond; and

SKSK - means 'stop keying' and is typed when you have finished the call to let the other person know that you are going to hang up


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Women with an intellectual disability

Women with an intellectual disability can have difficulty understanding complex language and they may have low literacy skills. The use of complex language and concepts can prevent Women with this disability from obtaining vital information and/or services, which they need for day-to-day living. When communicating with Women with an intellectual disability it is important to use plain language when writing and speaking.

When speaking to Women with an intellectual disability:
  • Speak clearly, do not mumble or turn your head away;


  • Do not speak in a patronising manner;

  • Use clear language - avoid acronyms (e.g. HRDC) and long, complex, unusual words;


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  • If necessary, clarify with the woman that she has understood you; and


  • Be prepared to rephrase information, using different words if the woman does not understand you.

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Women with an acquired brain injury

Women with an acquired brain injury will vary greatly in the extent to which their communication is affected (if at all).

Some Women may have difficulty with literacy and understanding complex language. Others may have problems with memory, planning and organising. Some Women have considerable cognitive problems that may not be immediately evident. Others may have physical and coordination problems.

In communicating with Women with an acquired brain injury you could consider:

  • Writing down appointments, bus numbers and other information that the woman may need to remember;


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  • Offering to escort the woman to a location rather than giving complex directions;


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  • Offering to provide reminder calls and notices through the post;


  • Offering to provide home visiting or home delivery services.


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Women with a psychiatric disability

Very few generalisations can be made about providing accessible information to Women with a psychiatric disability.

There is enormous variation between Women as to how their disability affects their ability to communicate. Sometimes medications prescribed for a woman's condition can affect her ability to communicate and to absorb and remember information.

In the case of face-to-face communication, a woman with a psychiatric disability may feel more at ease and be able to communicate more effectively if you make a few simple adjustments such as:

  • providing a calm environment;


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  • presenting information clearly;

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  • being aware of short concentration spans;


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  • being prepared to repeat and/or rephrase information;


  • being aware that some Women may have a degree of memory loss; and


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  • being aware that personal questions may be viewed as threatening.

These adjustments may also assist some Women with acquired brain injury.

The greatest barrier to effective communication with Women with a psychiatric disability is community attitudes and misconceptions (for example, the perception that the woman could be dangerous).

In fact, only a minority of Women with a psychiatric disability ever become aggressive and even then it is rare for them to express this to strangers. Fear based on such misconceptions can make good communication difficult.


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Women with a manipulatory disability

Women with manipulatory disabilities have difficulty holding and/or moving objects because of problems associated with their arms and hands. This may be due to nerve injuries, arthritis or amputation. They may find it difficult to hold books or papers and turn pages.

When providing information for this audience, the formats to consider include the Internet, disk, audio cassette, video and radio. Many Women with manipulatory disabilities use Radio to get access to community information.

 

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Women with a mobility disability

Women with a mobility disability, including those with a temporary disability, may find their access to mainstream information limited.

They may be unable to travel to libraries or meetings or may encounter difficulties with inaccessible buildings. They too may prefer to receive information via the Internet, radio, cassette, video or disk.

 

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Summary

The following table provides a list of various disability groups and formats generally used by them.

Women with a psychiatric disability or acquired brain injury are not listed in the table, as requirements need to be determined for each individual.

     

    Women with a vision impairment

  • audio cassette

  • Braille

  • disk/electronic

  • large and illustrated print

    •
  • Internet

  • radio
    Women with a hearing impairment
  • Internet

  • video including captions

  • plain language
    Women with an intellectual disability
  • large and illustrated print

  • easy English

  • video including captions
    Women with a mobility disability
  • Internet

  • radio

  • audio cassette

  • video including captions

  • disk/electronic
    Women with a manipulatory disability
  • audio cassette

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  • Internet

  • radio

  • video including captions

  • disk\electronic

 

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