What issues are you experiencing with communication from the government?

Ross_Scope · December 2020

Scope is looking to find out what issues disabled people are encountering from Government communications about the coronavirus pandemic

We are specifically looking for examples of bad communications about disabled people’s employment, but we are also interested in any piece of communication from Government that was about covid-19.

In particular, we are looking to find out:

Did the communication tell you everything you needed to know?
Was it accessible?
What was the impact of you not receiving the information you wanted?

Scope are lobbying the Government to ensure that all announcements and updates they give as part of the coronavirus pandemic set out what disabled people can expect.

Your thoughts and experiences on how well the Government has been communicating would be very much appreciated, to help us make the case for improvement in the future.

So if you have any examples or thoughts that you would like to share with us then please do so below.

Cher_Scope · December 2020

This is a great opportunity to feed directly into government lobbying!

Personally, I found the lack of a British Sign Language interpreter at daily briefings a real oversight. Deaf/deaf people were unable to receive the news at the same time as other people, leaving them at an instant disadvantage.

Also, the graphics used in briefing presentations were sometimes difficult to interpret and complex to read. Consideration to people with learning difficulties seemed lacking. Equally, were easy-read versions of policies/legislation provided by the government alongside mainstream publications? If not, I think that should be standard procedure.

Did anyone else note these things? What would have made your understanding of events clearer?

janer1967 · December 2020

I had a letter and text messages from Government 10 weeks into lockdown telling me to shield was a bit late by then, I presume it was because I am diabetic I was asked to shield

woodbine · December 2020

I also got a call weeks into LD1 telling me i didn't need to shield just needed to be careful.
I had a few occasions when I needed to call the DWP and although I had to wait upto an hour to get through my calls were all handled professionally and with good knowledge of the issues.

Ross_Scope · December 2020

Just a few hours left if you have anything to add here

What issues are you experiencing with communication from the government?

Scope is looking to find out what issues disabled people are encountering from Government communications about the coronavirus pandemic

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