Inclusive Marketing

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Inclusive Marketing

• Natalie Salmon
• Head of Access to Services and Transport

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Todays workshop

• The DRC - Who we are and what we do at
• The Disability Discrimination Act and inclusive
  marketing
• Best practice
• European Year of Disabled People case study
• Fitness and leisure context

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• The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) is an
  independent body, established by Act of
  Parliament to eliminate discrimination against
  disabled people and promote equality of
  opportunity.

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• To achieve this, we have set ourselves the goal
  of "a society where all disabled people can
  participate fully as equal citizens".

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What the DRC does

• advice and information service for disabled
  people and service providers
• supports disabled people in securing their rights
  under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
• campaigns to change policy and strengthen the law
  so that it works better and protects more
  disabled people

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DRC Marketing and PR Activity

• telemarketing,
• web (including live discussions and online
  forums),
• viral emails (most recently with regard to our
  DED strategy),
• advertising/billboard campaigns,
• stunts,
• external events and conferences
• cinema ads

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Publications and Information

• We currently have almost 120 separate titles on
  our publications list. Of these, most are
  produced as alternative formats in Braille, audio
  and disk as a standard.
• Some publications are also produced in BSL and
  Easy Read.
• Our Easy Read publications are particularly
  popular setting an exemplary standard for others
  to follow.

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Involvement of Disabled People

• Key to the success of the DRCs Inclusive
  marketing and publications is involving disabled
  people in the process from
• Disabled people being part of the marketing team
• Involving the Mental Health, Learning Disability
  and Nuero Diversity Action Groups in marketing
  work

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Involvement continued

• Disabled people with visual and hearing
  impairments are also involved in the process of
  deciding on appropriate marketing materials
• All the DRCs major marketing outputs are tested
  on target groups of disabled people as well.

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What does the DDA say?

• Part 3 of the DDA covers access to goods,
  facilities and services
• Marketing and advertising often falls into a grey
  area.
• Direct marketing to club members could be seen as
  a service offered by an organisation particularly
  when it is to inform about services and offers
• More general leafleting or mass marketing is less
  likely to be covered by the DDA

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When marketing materials are covered by the DDA

• The DDA covers services provided
• In person
• Written materials
• Email
• Websites
• Call centres

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The DDA says

• That if a disabled person finds it unreasonably
  difficult or impossible to access a service then
  a service provider should provide a reasonable
  adjustment in the form of
• Changing policies, practices and procedures
• Providing auxiliary aids or/and services
• Physical features

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Example

• All members of a high street Gym are sent special
  offers periodically.
• This is a service which members sign up to
• The special offers are communicated to the
  members through a monthly news letter or leaflet
• A visually impaired member of the gym asks for
  the newsletter to be emailed to them as this will
  be the most accessible way for them to view the
  news letter and know about the offers.

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Example continued

• If the gym does not send the newsletter in an
  accessible format for that disabled person the
  gym could be in breech of the DDA
• This is because the disabled member would not be
  receiving the same service as other members and
  could miss out on the special offers which others
  have access to.

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General Marketing Best Practice

• Although general marketing which is not aimed at
  specific individuals is less likely to be covered
  by the DDA there are compelling reasons to ensure
  that your marketing is accessible to as many
  people as possible.
• There are around 10 million disabled people in
  Great Britain
• Public bodies have a Disability Equality Duty to
  promote equality for disabled people in general

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Continued...

• Private companies carrying out work on behalf of
  public authorities will need to consider
  disability equality in order to win and maintain
  contracts with public bodies.

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Business sense

• Very often organisations lose out on vital
  business because they do not advertise to
  disabled people that they can offer accessible,
  inclusive and welcoming services.
• Often where marketing is used it fails to reach
  or have resonance with disabled people

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Inclusive design

• There are some basic rules around inclusive
  design for written and visual marketing which
  although will not meet every disabled persons
  requirements will go a long way to reaching more
  people
• Advice on font sizes and type, colour and visual
  design can be found through the RNIB who also
  offer a consultancy service

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Inclusive design

• The RNID can offer information on marketing aimed
  at deaf people and people with hearing
  impairments.
• Organisations of people with learning
  disabilities can sometimes offer advice or sign
  post to information regarding easy read
• Remember setting up a user group of people with
  different impairments can advise on inclusive
  design in a very practical way too.

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Beyond Access

• Remember that inclusive marketing goes beyond
  ensuring that materials can be seen, heard or
  understood by people with different impairments.
• Consider whether the marketing material is
  relevant or of interest to disabled people?
• Is the information given in a way that includes
  disabled people or does it single them out?
• Are images used which are appropriate and
  representative for disabled people?

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Beyond Access

• Remember that disabled people are not just
  disabled
• They are old, young, women, men from all diverse
  backgrounds with diverse interests and ideas.
• If you want to target 16 24 year olds generally
  consider what disabled 16 -24 year olds will be
  interested in?
• It will be the same as any other 16 -24 year old
  but with a few other interests thrown in, such as
  Will I be able to access that? or Will I be
  welcomed? and How will I get there (Transport
  is a big issue for many disabled people.)

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Case Study.European Year of Disabled People

• A logo had to be designed for the Mayor of
  Londons EYDP activities, which included
• An arts festival on Trafalgar Square
• A conference
• An art exhibition
• Seminars and receptions

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Continued...

• The logo had to be accessible, distinctive, eye
  catching and fit in with the Mayors corporate
  image.
• It had to appeal to disabled people and non
  disabled people of all ages but particularly
  young people.
• The decision was made to commission a disabled
  designer if possible.
• We received 4 mock designs 3 from companies of
  disabled people and one from a company of non
  disabled people.

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Continued...

• A designer was chosen on the merits of them
  meeting the spec and it happened to be one of the
  disabled designers.
• A working group was set up including disabled
  people with different impairments to assess the
  designs.
• Although the designers themselves were disabled
  they did not have all the knowledge essential for
  making the logo as accessible as possible.

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Continued...

• Advice was sort from the working group and RNIB
  and RNID and People First.
• The design chosen included the use of a modified
  ) symbol to represent the D in disability
• This was quite a controversial decision but as we
  wanted to particularly appeal to young disabled
  people we stuck with it.
• Some older disabled people expressed reservations
  but many more disabled people complimented the
  design.

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The Leisure and Fitness Context

• Anecdotally we know at the DRC that many disabled
  people would like to be more involved in leisure
  and fitness activities but that they are put off
  by a number of issues
• They dont know what is out there?
• Finding information is often difficult and the
  information obtained is often fragmentary or
  wrong.
• Many have had bad experiences in the past and so
  are put off from attempting to use a gym or
  leisure centre again

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Staff attitude

• Many of the complaints we receive to our helpline
  are around the attitude of staff in all service
  areas.
• No matter how well a service is marketed and
  promoted if the staff running the service are not
  disability aware then the marketing will have
  been for nothing.
• Attending a fitness or leisure venue for the
  first time can be very stressful and the
  experience disabled people have needs to be
  welcoming and inclusive.

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• Contact the DRC
• www.drc-gb.org
• Helpline 08457 622 633
• Fax [phone]
• Post DRC Helpline FREEPOST MID02164
  Stratford upon Avon CV37 9BR