Engaging Our Rebels
Ways to activate Rebels Momentum building and online campaigning Ideas for simple things you can ask rebels to do, to encourage their activism.
- Reactivating Rebels
- Designing an Activation Campaign
- Campaign Design
- Using Social Media
- Email Campaigns
- Rebel Ringing
- Don't be Afraid to Ask!
- Digital Team
- We are Everyone
Reactivating Rebels
With a Rebellion on the horizon your first step is to gear up the rebels in your local group! This can be done with Talks, Drop-ins, Campaigns, or Workshops among other things. The key is to get people talking! Start with a question and give them something small they can do! "Ready to rise out of self-isolation and stand up for all life on earth? Come to this short talk to learn about the next rebellion and how you together with your local fellow rebels can rebel without putting yourself or your loved ones in danger."
Reactivation Talk
No Time to Lose if we Want to Live
Summer 2020, the world has been in lockdown, rebels have been isolated for months and yet their apetite for Action has grown!
Lockdown has been tough. Our movement asked its rebels if they wanted to proceed with a Summer Rebellion. The majority said “You betcha” (not the exact words!). It’s still a tough choice to go ahead with a Rebellion with C-19 still hitting hard, so we have to inspire our rebels with why we have to go ahead. It’s simple: We Want to Live. And all the indigenous people. And all the world’s children. And all the species. And all the biodiversity and creatures.
And we have to ACT NOW because the science is getting worse. The science is screaming at us.
The No Time to Lose talk is incredible. Horrifying and inspiring in equal measure. Each Local Group can organise and promote at least one No Time To Lose talk before the Rebellion, whilst larger Local Groups should aim for three No Time To Lose talks.
Note: This talk is aimed to re-engage and excite existing rebels rather than to reach and inform new audiences. That’s what makes it different from the Heading for Extinction talk.
The talk touches upon:
- The latest science
- Covid 19
- Systemic injustice
- And how they are all related to the rebellion...
In just 15 minutes!
Giving plenty of time to get Rebels planning and organising for the Rebellion.
Who is this for?
Everyone who will be involved in the next rebellion in any possible way.
Who is responsible for this?
Your local Talks & Trainings team, you can find their email address Here
How long does it take?
1 hour
How do I organise it?
Check out this guide.
Designing an Activation Campaign
Consider your messaging narrative and timeline for the coming Rebellion, think about how it links to the actions you are planning, the story you are telling. Who are you talking to, what information do you need them to know, what are you asking them to do? Here we will look at how to design such a campaign and some of the tools available to carry it out.
Campaign Design
Consider your messaging narrative and timeline for the coming Rebellion, think about how it links to the actions you are planning, the story you are telling.
Who are you talking to, what information do you need them to know, what are you asking them to do? (Book time off work for the rebellion! Right now!)
Think practically:
GET ... TO ... BY ...
(Eg. GET grandparents TO join drop a banner BY introducing them to XR Elders)
To maximise the effectiveness of your campaigns aim for consistency across your platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and beyond socials onto Email, Ringing and Events.
So consider the time between now and rebellion, how might you theme your days and weeks?
- Can you link it to your rebellion plans?
- Are there any government announcements or important dates you could use for your narrative?
*Example Week: GET Local Communities & Organisations TO the Heading for Extinction talk BY reaching out through the connections we have within our group.
- Theme – Our System is Killing us
- Aspect – Community Building
- Big Ask – Approach 5 Communities / Organizations and invite them to Heading for Extinction Talk
- Small Ask – Bring 5 friends to the Heading for Extinction Talk at the end of the week.
- Information – Ways to link your communities into the Rebellion*
We can then use this framing to create daily Social Media Posts on exactly how our system is killing us – start ringing campaigns inviting people to the talk at the end of the week and asking them to bring their friends and organisations. We can host discussion spaces on these issues through the week and reach out into the communities though our own contacts and on Social Media.
Using Social Media
If you find the idea of Social Media alarming check out our Nervous Rebel's Guide to Social Media.
Here are some key tips to help:
- Check what’s trending on twitter; see if anything relevant can be incorporated into the day’s post to increase audience.
- @ people i.e. @UKGOV. Be direct.
- Keep it short & punchy.
- Use humour where appropriate.
- Twitter is more popular with businesses, organisations and notables - bear this in mind when writing posts.
- Keep it short and punchy, and use simple language.
- Grab the reader's attention in the first two lines.
- Use 10 words or fewer per sentence - break long sentences up.
- Don’t overuse emojis; use them constructively, to accent the text. Too many emojis can be visually confusing.
- Feel free to use one of our fancy banners for your Events!
- Try and get original content as much as possible.
- Aim for approx. 50 words and 5-10 hashtags.
- Tailor the tone & language to a younger audience.
There are also many ways rebels can boost posts on social media. Again more information can be found here.
Engaging with posts (not just liking them), selecting “Going”, sharing events, and commenting all boost the reach of posts. When running with a campaign you could get a group of rebels together to do some “Facebanking” by interacting with posts or going further and interacting with people and communities on social media!
We touch on Online Outreach methods in the next section.
Email Campaigns
An email campaign is an excellent addition to any messaging campaign for your area!
It allows you to send timed emails over a period, target your emails to specific parts of your mailing list, delay follow-up emails and send emails in response to actions your rebels may have taken. It’s easy, a great role for remote rebels.
Check out the How to Guide for creating email campaigns on Action Network.
And don’t forget to ask rebels to take time off for the Rebellion!
Rebel Ringing
Rebel Ringing enables us to call Rebels in our local area, check in with them and let them know about local actions/events/talks etc.
It is a really effective way to re-engage dormant Rebels, spread the word about upcoming actions/events and strengthen the movement… exactly what we need to do in the run up to Rebellion! This kind of ‘high touch’ outreach takes time though. So we recommend building teams of Rebel Ringers in each local area. Here’s how:
Get Cracking!
- Watch the promo video above together with your LG and encourage them to sign up.
- Follow the steps in this starter pack. Or signpost them to our weekly webinar on Thursdays at 7pm here.
- Request a campaign for your event/area on p.19 of the starter pack.
- Get Ringing! You can Rebel Ring whenever you have a spare hour or two, or tackle a campaign as a group. The Rebel Ringers host a weekly drop-in on Saturday mornings at 10am for anyone to stop by and ring for some campaigns together.
- Check out our guide on Regenerative Culture to help us build meaningful and caring relationships with our fellow Rebels
And if you want to be clever with your Rebel Ringing...
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Action Network and CallHub Tag use.
Action Network has a concept of tags, a tag allows you to note information about your Rebels. So for example we could mark if a Rebel is First Aid trained or a Chef or has done your NVDA training... this means we can find these Rebels on Action Network easily, send them targetted emails etc. Action Network tags can be automagically synced with CallHub so Rebel Ringers can apply these tags during their calls - we just need to know what tags you would like to be able to apply when we got to make up your campaign. This video shows you how to apply a tag in CallHub -
Automation site for vouch and follow-up email.
When a Rebel agrees to the Rebel Ringer Data Agreement an email will automatically be sent to their Local Group co-ord asking for a vouch and they go onto the Pending list. The Rebel's access into CallHub will be approved by the Rebel Ringer Guides once the email reply from the local group confirming that this Rebel is indeed a trusted and known Rebel is received.
Alternatively Regional and County co-ords can also vouch for Rebels directly by registering on the automation site and asking for Admin rights on the Telegram Group chat.
Once that is granted you navigate into "Approve Ringers" and click on the + beside your Rebel's name - add your reason for the approval, e.g. "long standing and known Surrey Rebel" and click the green approve button. The Rebel will then receive their CallHub activation email a min or two later.
Note that there is another page Rebel Ringing on the "02. Group Building" shelf.
Don't be Afraid to Ask!
“The good news for organizers who want to help build the political revolution is that people really are just waiting for you to ask them to do something big.” ― Becky Bond, Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything
Every event should have a clear next step. Every conversation should end with “and this is how you can help”. Every interaction you have needs a small way that people can meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. They should be able to do it immediately or within 3 days, or their enthusiasm will be lost.
Show them they can make history!
Tiny Asks (5-10 min asks)
Small Asks (10 - 30 min asks)
- If you can, book time off work NOW! Right now! And come to the Rebellion. Let your friends know you’ve done so on Social Media!
- Prepare a care package for a Rebel who will be on the street, come out and give it to them - include food, warm/soft things, water, tea, battery packs, etc.
- Host a Watch Party for the 15 min Heading for Extinction talk with your friends and start a discussion. Invite them to the 2020 Rebellion.
- Record a short video on what you are actively hoping to see in the future we build, and share it on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok with #WeWantToLive.
Medium Asks (Can be done for a day or a week)
- Record a short video clip each morning in the run-up to rebellion on what Rebelling against this system means for you and those around you. Share on your Social Media Platforms. Check Here for Hashtags!
- Make a banner and placards for the rebellion and share on social media (bonus points for hanging the banner in a visible spot locally!).
- Get some friends together and do one of the Outreach methods to engage with your community.
Large Asks (Longer term asks)
- Come join a Working group within your Local Group
- Become a Regional Organiser!
- Quit your job and give all your time to the rebellion!
These are just a handful of suggestions, bring your group together and get creative!
Digital Team
Do you have a project in mind which has a digital side to it? See the Digital Team page for advice on how to get assistance.
We are Everyone
We have all agreed upon joining XR to welcome everyone and every part of everyone, therefore there is a duty for us to do as much as we can to ensure everyone has access to our resources and that we are welcoming to a diverse range of people. We cannot be perfect but we must be better.
Principles Of Inclusivity
In order to build an inclusive approach towards involving all sections of society in the struggle to highlight the Climate Emergence, it is necessary for XR to pay particular attention to five activity areas:
- Organisation and running of meetings
- The production of documentation – including leaflets
- Accessibility of the XR websites
- Accessibility of demonstrations and other activities
- Good practices when communicating with disabled people
What is inclusivity?
An inclusive product, service or environment does not exclude any section of society. Inclusive solutions consider all users and participants, including disabled people, and is a positive step towards a holistic, universal system.
The Principles of Inclusivity
- Individuals have unique and particular needs in learning, social and campaigning environments.
- Respect each individual’s right to express and present themselves relative to their religion, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender-identity, identity as disabled people.
- Promote inclusivity by reasonably adjusting procedures, activities and physical environments.
- Focus on the learning or support needs of the individual without assumptions or labels.
- Be inclusive in all forms of communication.
- Serve all with sensitivity, respect, and within boundaries of social justice.
Disabled Rebels Network
For further advice you can reach out to the Disabled Rebels Network either on Facebook or by Email at xr.inclusion@protonmail.com
For more on power and privilege check out this page from the Trust the People workshop! It's full of great advice, activities and resources.
Organising Inclusive Meetings & Activities
When considering an accessible and inclusive meeting, there are 3 aspects you need to think about:
- Planning and preparation
- The equipment and information
- The conduct of the meeting.
Remember:
There have always been disabled people engaged in political activities but never to the extent that they are today.
It is not possible or practical for organisers of demonstrations or certain other political activities to consider the access needs of all the disabled individuals who may want to take part.
Disabled people for their part equally need to understand that with Rights come responsibilities and this includes their own safety.
Nevertheless in order to be able to make informed choices as to whether or not they can participate, disabled people require as much information as is possible to give.
Disabled people would find it useful to know for example:
-
Details of a meeting place (nearest stations, bus routes, parking, etc)
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Agreed route of the March and its length
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Details of a rallying place (nearest stations, bus routes, parking, etc)
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If disabled people are to form a separate contingent that the lead disabled people are able to liaise with identifiable stewards in case or changes in plans or possible emergencies.
1. Planning - Choosing a venue
When considering whether a venue is accessible, the first obvious thought may be to avoid entrances with steps. There are however, many other things to watch for or that you can provide to make the venue accessible:
- Is there a barrier-free pathway to the meeting space? A barrier-free pathway means that a person with a mobility impairment can make it from the street into the meeting room without encountering stairs.
- Is it easy to reach the meeting space from public transportation? Many disabled people rely on public transportation to get around.
- Is there adequate parking, including disabled parking?
- Is there an accessible toilet nearby?
Consider:
- Dimensions - door width, sharp corners, wheelchair ramps, access to parking for anyone with limited mobility, angle of slopes, toilets, background noise levels, lighting, clear signage.
- Size of the venue in relation to the number of wheelchair users expected to attend. Space is required for wheelchairs to be manoeuvred. As a general guide allow two spaces for every wheelchair user.
- Lighting levels for people with visual impairments, as lowlighting is a barrier.
- Availability of induction loops or arrange reserved front seating for attendees who are hard of hearing
- Crèche facilities if these are required or whether childcare/carer’s expenses can be paid as an alternative.
If you have been unable to get an ideal venue, plan how you will overcome issues to accommodate individuals, e.g. arranging help to get people down slopes.
Always:
- Check the accessibility of a venue for yourself. Not only can you then be confident with what you are saying, but you can also answer enquiries more accurately.
- Brief the Venue staff regarding your needs, including numbers and access requirements.
- Arrange the seating so that wheelchair users have a choice of where they sit.
- Have someone stand by the main entrance to direct people to the meeting room and help those needing assistance. This is a courtesy that everyone will appreciate.
2. Providing Information and Equipment
Planning
- The date and time for a meeting may influence who is able to come.
- The timing of a meeting may also affect people’s availability. Those with caring responsibilities may find early starts difficult and those with childcare may need to be home to collect children.
- You should consider your audience and whether you are able to provide expenses or resources for individuals requiring personal assistants, those with caring responsibilities (children and adult) or those with transport costs. Notice periods should be as far forwards as possible to enable people to make arrangements for transport, personal assistance and replacement care.
Publicising
- On any notices or publicity used for the event, it is important toensure you use the phrase: “If you require any specific requirements please inform [state a contact by phone, email and preferably address too]. This allows people to explain any access/dietary needs (dietary needs may be influenced by faith, health or philosophy).
- Individuals find different formats of information easier to manage. These include large type, Braille, computer disc,audio CD. It is important if you are providing information in a particular format for an individual that you ask which is appropriate for them and not make assumptions.
- Try to use plain English without jargon in all documents including advertising.
Prior to Meeting
3. Conduct - During the meeting
Accessible Documentation & Leaflets
Here are some tips on good practice:
- Offer a good contrast between print and background (e.g. black/blue on white/yellow)
- Avoid glossy or thin paper
- Aoid light type weights and unusual typefaces
- Keep information as concise as possible with short sentences and paragraphs
- Avoid printing text in capitals
- Provide even word spacing and justify text to the left
- Provide ‘navigational’ aids for the reader (e.g. content lists, clear headings, titled illustrations in appropriate places.)
- Ensure text documents have been generously spaced
- Leave enough space between columns to make sure that text flows easily from column to column
When considering lay-out and design for posters and leaflets (as well as the points above):
- Avoid over-elaborate layouts, especially, placing words on top of photographs or drawings
- Highlight where the focus of the information can be found
- Insure large and clear fonts are used such as Ariel
- Insure the numbering and symbol protocols are kept simple and understand that some characters are difficult to tell apart for those with visual impairments, e.g., 3 and 8, 6 and 9, O and 0, S and 5, iv and vi?
Take care to avoid, where possible:
- words split over lines
- italics
- underlining
- the capitalisation of whole sentences
- narrow line spacing, narrow margins and dense text
- faint print
Website Accessibility
Accessible website design
1. Text
Use a sans serif typeface, like Arial as it is easier to read for visually impaired people. A large font equivalent to Arial 14 is a good size – the alternative is to have a Large Print button at the top of the home page.
The text should be colour-contrasted with its surroundings – like black/white, yellow/blue, green/white. Many visually impaired people find it easier to read reverse coloured text – e.g. white characters (#FFFFFF), on racing green (#006600) background
The visited links colour should be a different colour and shade, so that people with colour-blindness or other visual impairments can distinguish it.
2. Images
Pictures/pictograms/icons help many people with learning disabilities, but can be a hindrance to people using voice software like Hal/Supernova (text-reader software). Where pictures are included, make sure the alt tags say what they are or what they do (e.g.: click here for Toyota cars)
3. Frames
Frames are about the most unhelpful thing for blind and visually impaired people, firstly because it is not easy to see what is going on, secondly, because most Text Reader software works from left to right (in the West), so someone using, for example, Supernova or a screen reader may be jumping from frame to frame and what they hear wont make sense.
4. Tables
Tables are inaccessible for many with visual impairments and some screen readers
5. Forms
Web-based forms can usually be read by text readers, but it’s worthwhile including a “print” button, for people who can’t use the online version.
6. Document downloads
If written in Adobe Acrobat 7 or above, pdf.files can be read by text readers like Jaws, but not all screen readers, therefore it is best practice to offer documents in Word and in Pdf
7. Structure
A logical and easy-to-follow structure may be the most important thing in making a website accessible:
Check Out
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Available at: www.w3.org/WAI/
Accessibility Guidelines for Web Authors. Available at: www.demon.ac.uk/access
Good Communication
Written Communication
Do
Don't
Audio information
Audio information is especially important for people with a visual impairment, dyslexia, learning difficulties, non-English speakers and people who struggle to understand maps; non-disabled people may also find it reassuring and helpful.
Etiquette for producing your own audio CD: use people with clear speaking voices. Give an introduction and a summary e.g. this is an annual report of 20 pages. Have gaps between sections; state page number at appropriate points so that people can retrieve information; give contact details at the end; if pictures are important to the text describe them. Allow time for taping to be done in stages so that the reader does not sound bored.
Communication Checklist
Written communication
- Is text colour contrasted with background
- Is typeface sans serif
- Is text large enough for most people to see (Are community languages in large print)
- Is layout clear and easy to follow – avoiding columns and box inserts – (although some people with dyslexia prefer columns)
- Do the graphics help to explain what it is about
- Is the title/subject easy to gauge/understand
- Is there an audio tape version
- Is there a signed video version
- Is there a large print version
- Is it in the present tense
- Are there any unnecessary adverbs or adjectives
- Are there any acronyms, are they explained
- Is there any jargon/in-house language which could be avoided
- Is there a named or titled person to contact, and a variety of ways to contact him/her
Verbal Communication
- Are you aware of how and where to get a sign language interpreter
- Ensure you look at people when talking to them
- Try speaking as clearly as possible
- Keep your hands away from your lips when speaking
- Ensure you are easy to understand (Plain English)
- Explain things until person understands
- Offer to help
- Being friendly aids communication
- If a person has a problem, can you offer alternatives
Signage
- Is it easy to notice
- Is signage logically placed and used
- Is signage unified
- Do the signs make sense to a stranger
- Have you considered the height, typeface and use of pictures
- Have you also considered colour contrasting, colour coding, tactile/Braille information
Good Practice in Communicating with Disabled People
The following information is a guide to issues which affect different groups of people with impairments in terms of communication. It is important to remember each individual has their own needs and strategies – ask them what their particular needs or issues are where possible.
Who have visual impairments
- Prior to a meeting the organiser should clarify with the individual their access requirements are and ascertain whether they will be escorted to the meeting or be accompanied by a guide dog.
- Letters and information to support a meeting should be available in an appropriate form, depending upon the individual's preferred communication mode (i.e. Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.).
- People with little or no vision are likely to require information in non-visual formats – remember, do not assume, ask – this could range from audio tape, Braille or computer disk (e.g. people using screen readers).
- Decreasing numbers of people are using Braille these days, however, there are still some visually impaired people who prefer this format and find it easier to use.
- At reception the individual should be met and esXRted to the meeting room as required.
- Be hazard aware. If asked to guide a blind person to a destination, take the person's arm above the elbow, describe the route to be taken and detail any potential hazards, e.g., steps, XRners and doorways. They may need to be guided to a suitable chair.
- Lighting levels need to be discussed with the individual and seating should be arranged with daylight behind the individual.
- Contrasting colours are helpful for those with low vision.
- Introductions should be made in a way that ensures that the individual is able to put a voice to a name.
- Verbal indications are necessary if any of the participants leaves or re-enters the room, or if joined by a third-party.
- A guide dog is highly disciplined and should not be distracted or petted when working. Only approach a guide dog with the owner's permission.
Face-to-face Communication:
- ensure the person is aware of your presence, when you are talking directly to them, handing them over to another person, or you are leaving them
- when reading to a person who is visually impaired, make sure they know when you have stopped reading and have begun talking to them. Similarly, denote any difference between formal and informal conversations
- The environment can be as disabling to some people with visual impairments as it is for deaf people. Light, reasonably quiet settings could assist communication.
Who have physical impairments
Ascertain the degree of personal independence of the individual in advance, for example, will they:
- need special parking arrangements
- walk unaided
- manage steps or stairs
- require specialist seating
- use and require access for a wheelchair
- benefit from a meeting room on the ground floor with proximity to an accessible toilet.
Some individuals with physical impairments may have communication aids, or use speech that may be difficult to follow, or attend the meeting in a wheelchair and/or come with a personal assistant. Be prepared for these eventualities.
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Enquire about the best format for organising the face-to-face aspects of the meeting, taking into account the role of the communication aid, the position of the wheelchair and the presence of the personal assistant.
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Speak clearly and naturally to avoid exaggerated, slow or loud<peech.
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If a disabled person has a communication aid it is important to let them use this as a matter of course and not interrupt. Avoid making the piece of equipment the centre of attention or treating it as if it was a novelty. Address the person with the speech impairment directly.
Who have communication related impairments
What implications are there for face to face communication?
Having a speech impairment can be very tiring especially when in a new environment. Also consider that some speech impairments are affected by a person's emotional state. Patience and respect for what they have to say is very important. When talking with someone with a speech impairment:
- Make eye contact and be especially attentive and patient with a person who has difficulty speaking or who uses a communicator. Wait quietly and listen whilst the person talks
- Do not rush the person as this is likely to cause additional stress and impact negatively on a person’s speech
- Resist the temptation to speak for the person, or to finish their sentences
- Some people may prefer to be asked questions which require either a short answer, or a nod or shake of the head
- Be sure you understand fully what the person is meaning before making any assumptions. It may help to say what you have understood and ask the person to repeat the rest
- Ask simpler/shorter questions rather than ones which rely on a long answer if meeting a person for the first time (if this is appropriate)
- If you don't understand what is being said, don't be afraid or too embarrassed to ask the person to repeat it, and this may need to be done several times. People are usually used to repeating themselves
- Don't make assumptions about the person's hearing or intellect just because he or she has difficulty speaking
- If noisy, take account of this and, if possible, move to a quieter area
- Be aware that the person's first language might not be English
There may be other communication barriers to consider:
- People with speech impairments are likely to find telephone calls difficult. Email may be a more useful method of communication
- The length of time it takes to communicate with someone with a speech impairment or non-verbal communication is likely to be longer than usually expected. Allow more time and include frequent breaks if a long meeting is anticipated.
- Allow the individual to take a little longer to contribute to the meeting
Who have a history of mental ill health
"Mental ill health" is an all encompassing term used to cover people who experience a range of conditions that are grouped together. These conditions may include: mood related disorders (depression), anxiety-related disorders (phobias, panic, post-traumatic stress, compulsive behaviour), psychosis (schizophrenia), eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia nervosa) and personality disorders.
For some people with a history of mental ill health the following issues may need additional thought when organising a meeting:
- providing in advance a very clear resume of the purpose of the meeting, the names of all those attending and their roles
- previous experience of stigma and discrimination in their life
- the anxiety of self disclosure may be especially acute
- past medical history and the frequency of mental health episodes may indicate the possibility of cancellation
- fluctuations in concentration or mood, confusion or disorientated thinking
- self-perception may not be the same as that of others
- the day-to-day effects of medication may be detrimental
- additional fatigue is likely to be caused by the meeting process
- offering to be flexible and making alternative meeting times may be required
- providing quality written information at the meeting
- post-meeting notes could prove useful where follow up action is required
Who have dyslexia
People with dyslexia are not a homogenous group. They are all individuals and the impact of their dyslexia will vary according to their degree of difficulty, the timing of their diagnosis, their particular strengths, and their coping strategies.
When planning and undertaking a meeting it is vital to:
- provide clear directions and instructions on the place and time of the meeting. People with dyslexia will often forget dates and times of appointments and therefore need a written and/or verbal reminder.
- use a quiet space to help maintain concentration for the individual
- keep the carrier language simple so that additional energy is not wasted on unnecessary decoding
- invite questions to monitor full comprehension
- write down important information for the individual to take away
- allow additional time for the processing of information
- encourage the use of a tape recorder if the individual would like to use one.
Communication with a deaf person
with a sign language interpreter
- the interpreter: the role of the interpreter is to facilitate communication only and not to participate.
- off task conversations: never engage an interpreter in a conversation when they are communicating for the individual.
- speed of speech: use a normal rate of speaking, with natural breaks for pauses. A 10-15 minute break is necessary when giving large amounts of information.
- allow time: the process of translating requires time - the deaf person must be able to receive the information and to respond.
- advance information: provide information in advance of the meeting to the interpreter and if possible to the deaf person. Prior access to names and specific terminology will save time during the meeting.
who is a lip reader
The individual may require technical support in the form of a radio hearing aid or a portable loop system in the room, to facilitate the use of the hearing aid.
Lip reading requires a high level of concentration and can be extremely exhausting, as much as three-quarters of lip reading is intelligent guesswork and intuition, relying to some extent on contextual clues.
- speak clearly at a reasonable pace without shouting or over enunciating as this distorts sound and lip patterns
- rephrase if necessary rather than simply repeating words
- check position and room lighting as lips cannot be read at a distance or in a dim light
- avoid nodding too much, turning of the head or moving about the room
- use facial expression and try to maintain eye-contact if you know the person is a lip reader
- gain the individual's attention before speaking
- give a clear view of lips: avoid covering the mouth with hands
- make time adjustments to allow the individual to adjust to unfamiliar lip patterns
- remember that many sounds and words look alike on the lips - e.g., t,d,n have the same configuration of the lips as do p,b,m.
Who is hard of hearing.
The individual may require technical support in the form of a radio hearing aid or a portable loop system in the room, to facilitate the use of the hearing aid.
Who have limited dexterity
People with limited dexterity might find intercom systems, door bells and security buttons difficult to operate if gripping, holding, pressing, or turning, is required. Providing alternative methods of entry or offering additional support might reduce barriers.
Leaflets may present problems where they have more than one fold – ideally, having no fold at all would be most people’s preference.