Archived Spotlight Information
This is information that has been published earlier on the home page of this website.
How the Scottish Parliament Works - Easy Read version now available
Following the BSL version the Scottish Parliament have now produced an easy-read publication on 'How the Scottish Parliament works'.
Click here for a link to the How the Scottish Parliament Works pdf version.
Click here for a link to an order form for How the Scottish Parliament Works in large print, Braille, audio CD or audio cassette copies.
Alternatively you can contact the Scottish Parliament, Public Information Service at
Text phone: 0131 558 7676
Tel: 0131 348 5000
Fax: 0131 348 5601
May 2008
Equality and Human Rights Commission Single Equality Scheme
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched its single equality scheme.
"The scheme goes beyond the legal requirement to address gender, disability and race and also covers issues around age, sexual orientation, religion or belief and human rights. The Commission has a special position among public authorities as these duties are identical to its own remit. The Commission is also responsible for ensuring other public bodies meet the legal requirements of the equality duties."
A copy of the scheme is available on the Commission's website:
|www.equalityhumanrights.com/equalityscheme
April 2008
Open and accessible?
A thematic study into how social landlords share information about performance and governance.
Social housing tenants might be interested in Communities Scotland's study about open and accessible landlords across Scotland.
The study looks at
- the kind of information landlords provide,
- if they are providing the right sort of information to tenants and service users,
- if it is provided in a timely way and
- how easy it is to get the information.
Although some good practice examples have been found landlords need to do more to make sure that information is accessible to everyone.
|Communities Scotland - Open and accessible?
March 2008
Consultation on Revision of 'How to Write Your Disabled Persons' Protection Policy: A Guide for Train and Station Operators.
A Disabled Persons' Protection Policy must be produced by all station and train operators. The Department of Transport is reviewing the guidance it provides to operators about producing their policy.
Some of the changes proposed include aiming the policy specifically at disabled people and changing the title to 'Travel information for disabled passengers'.
The document will provide disabled passengers with a range of information for each stage of their journey.
Some of the headings include: accessible information, booking assistance, car parking, station access information, ramps, audio and visual announcements, what happens in an emergency, buses and taxis and how to provide feedback and complaints.
The deadline for your comments is Friday 23rd May 2008. Online copies of the consultation can be viewed at|www.dft.gov.uk/access/dppp. Audio copies can be obtained by contacting the Railways for All team:
Telephone: 020 7944 5284
Fax: 020 7944 6102
Email: (please put 'DPPP Consultation' in the subject line.
April 2008
How the Scottish Parliament Works - BSL version now available
The Scottish Parliament publication How the Scottish Parliament works' is now available on their website Alternatively you can contact them to request a BSL DVD version either with captions or with a voice over.
|Scottish Parliament - Public Information Service
Contact the Scottish Parliament, Public Information Service at
Text phone: 0131 558 7676
Tel: 0131 348 5000
Fax: 0131 348 5601
January 2008
'Custom Eyes' books
The National Blind Children's Society makes books in big print to suit the exact needs of individual children and charges only the cover price of the original book.
There are over 1000 books to choose from. Click the link to view the titles.
|View the titles at www.nbcs.or.uk/customeyes
January 2008
The Scottish Government -
Online accessibility guide
The Scottish Government has recently published an online accessibility guide which provides you with information about how to make your computer easier to use.
The guide recommends that you consider using free software in order to make your computer more accessible before buying new equipment or hardware which might not be required.
|Scottish Government - online accessibility guide
If you have feedback about the guide contact their Digital Inclusion Policy Officer
December 2007
Text the Scottish Parliament
A new text messaging service provided by the Scottish Parliament is currently on trial. You can use the service to get the name of you MSP, contact your MSP, ask questions about the the Parliament's work, send in feedback or request free leaflets. Find out more by clicking the link below for the Scottish Parliament.
|Scottish Parliament - text service page
December 2007
Family Advice and Information Resource (FAIR) - User-led Review
FAIR is an information and advice service for people with learning disabilities, their parents and carers and people who work with them. The organisation recently completed a review of it's monthly newsletter.
To assist them, FAIR piloted the SAIF publication Guide to User-led Reviews. The guide sets out how organisations can get feedback from disabled people about the accessibility of their services. It stresses the requirement to involve disabled people in the review, planning and development of services.
The FAIR report makes for interesting reading, both in terms of conclusions about the newsletter itself and the experiences and skills development of service users who carried out the work.
Copies of the FAIR report:
|FAIR report on User-led Review - pdf (76 kb)
|FAIR report on User-led Review - word (214 kb)
Copies of the FAIR newsletter can also be viewed by clicking the link below.
|FAIR news page
Do you think your organisation might be interested in carrying out a user-led review of a service you provide to disabled people? If so, SAIF would love to hear from you. Please contact Steve Harvey, Joanne Martin or Susan Burn on 0141 226 5261 or at .
January 2008
The Social Model of Disability and Language
"Language use is not really difficult, there are a few simple rules which help you to understand what to say and why." Extract from The Social Model of Disability and its implications for language use. You can read the paper in its entirety by clicking on the link below.
|Social Model and Language - in pdf (53 kb)
August 2006
Does the Internet open up opportunities for disabled people?
This research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2004 examined whether the provision of information, goods and services through the Internet removes many of the access barriers faced by disabled people, or adds to them. Findings from the study included:
- Disabled Internet users who needed assistive devices to use a computer and the Internet found fewer websites that were easy to use and navigate that did those not using assistive devices.
- This same group of users had significant problems in identifying what to use, in affording it and in getting guidance or training with the equipment.
- Read the report by following the link below:
|Does the Internet open up opportunities for disabled people report - in pdf
June 2007
Alternative formats policy
The Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS) team - also based in the Scottish Consumer Council and 3 offices along from SAIF - have recently revised their policy on the production of information in accessible formats. This policy provides useful information on what alternative formats and languages should be used.
|HRIS alternative formats policy - December 2006
January 2007
The Duty to Promote Disability Equality
The statutory code of practice for Scotland is now available to download by clicking on Do the Duty .
December 2006
See it right
The Royal National Institute for the Blind, (RNIB), has produced a pack of 12 booklets providing practical advice on designing, producing and planning for accessible information. The pack includes guidance on website design, large print, signs and tapes and can be ordered or printed from RNIB.
|See it right at RNIB's website
December 2005