{"id":45650,"date":"2024-05-22T15:21:44","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T14:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?page_id=45650"},"modified":"2024-05-28T10:12:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T09:12:32","slug":"how-to-make-your-election-campaign-accessible","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/get-involved\/campaign\/general-election\/how-to-make-your-election-campaign-accessible\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make your election campaign accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">Creating an accessible world is a shared responsibility. While it\u2019ll take more than following a checklist to get us there, these essential considerations will ensure your campaigns are inclusive and able to reach as many people as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maria laughing with her VOCA\" class=\"wp-image-38876\" style=\"width:787px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/MG_0895-1600x1067.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow our checklist, below, to make sure you&#8217;re considering accessibility at every level of your election campaigning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most importantly, if you\u2019re uncertain about someone\u2019s accessibility needs, just ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Campaigning online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-primary-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alt-text: <\/strong>Use alt-text to describe images and graphics, making them accessible to people who rely on screen-reading software.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Subtitles: <\/strong>Adding subtitles to videos makes them easier to follow for everyone, but they can be essential for viewers with hearing impairments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hashtags: <\/strong>Capitalising the first letter of each word in a hashtag (#LikeThis) makes it easier for screen-reading software to read the individual words.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-pink-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Websites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Remember accessibility: <\/strong>Think about disabled people while designing your website. There are plenty of free online accessibility checkers out there \u2013 consider using them regularly so that everyone can use your website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Campaign documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-secondary-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Best practice for printed documents: <\/strong>Avoid small text, curly fonts and jumbled layouts, as they often can\u2019t be read by people with visual impairments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital copies: <\/strong>Webpages and Word documents are more accessible than PDFs, but make sure you use heading structures, as well as alt-text on any images.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Accessible formats:<\/strong> Ensure your manifestos and leaflets are accessible to all who are interested by making alternative formats available:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Easy Read: <\/strong>This format presents text in an accessible, easy to understand format. It is often useful for people with learning disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Large print.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Braille.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Campaign meetings and face-to-face campaigning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Running an event in the community, like a hustings or a surgery?<br><br>Here are a few things you can do to make sure everyone can take part:<\/p>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-grey-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Venue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check that the space is wheelchair-friendly, with step-free access, a lift and disabled toilet onsite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-green-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Greeters and guides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As not all attendees may be able to read your signs and posters, have someone on hand to guide people towards the appropriate room.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-primary-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Confirm in advance if any attendees have accessibility needs that you need to meet, such as support from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/information-and-advice\/communication\/sign-language\/\">British Sign Language<\/a> interpreter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Always look at the person you\u2019re speaking to, rather than their carer or interpreter. Make sure your mouth is visible when you speak to support\/enable lipreading.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For large events, ask everyone to use a mic while speaking. If you can, use a hearing loop system so people with hearing aids can listen along.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box  ctaBox    is-style-textured-secondary-tint-10\">\n    <div class=\"ctaBox__row\">\n      <div class=\"ctaBox__content\">\n        <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will you be a champion for disabled people?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of the 2024 General Election, Sense&#8217;s manifesto explains what prospective new MPs can do to support their disabled constituents.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"ctaBox__cta\">\n        <a href=\"\" class=\"button  button--primary\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Follow this checklist to make sure your election campaigning is as inclusive as possible. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":38876,"parent":49196,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"content_label":[],"class_list":["post-45650","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45650\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"content_label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_label?post=45650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}