Be. the Voice Accessibility Guide for Media - Third Edition 2014
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Be. the Voice
Accessibility Guide for Media
Third Edition 20142
This second edition of Be. the Voice, Be. Accessible’s media guide on
accessibility, is a development of the first publication that was released in
December 2011.
Many people and organisations have given their time, love and energy to
create this guide and we thank them for their valuable input.
We encourage you to share the information in this booklet, and only ask that
you credit the information where you use it in further publications.
This is a living document so we encourage and welcome your input so that we
can learn together and explore how to make New Zealand the most
accessible country in the world.
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
– Frank Zappa3 Table of Contents 1. Welcome ..................................................................................................... 5 1.1. What is Be. Accessible? ..................................................................... 5 1.2. Why a guide on Accessibility? ........................................................... 6 1.3. Be. Media Training ............................................................................... 7 1.4. Example Stories ................................................................................... 7 1.5. History of the Accessibility Movement .............................................. 7 2. Be. Accessible Goals ................................................................................. 9 3. Key Messages .......................................................................................... 10 3.1. The Be. Lens of Accessibility ........................................................... 10 3.2. We will all have accessibility needs at some point in our lives ..... 10 3.3. Human Rights .................................................................................... 11 4. The Be. Way.............................................................................................. 12 4.1. Be. Human – Put the Person First .................................................... 12 4.2. Be. Positive ........................................................................................ 12 4.3. Be. Respectful .................................................................................... 13 4.4. Be. Authentic...................................................................................... 13 4.5. Be. Informed ....................................................................................... 14 4.6. Be. Honest .......................................................................................... 14 5. Be. Guided ................................................................................................ 15 5.1. Language ............................................................................................ 15 5.2. Interviewing Etiquette ....................................................................... 16 5.3. Photography Etiquette ...................................................................... 18 6. Portraying People Well ............................................................................ 19 6.1. Autism ................................................................................................ 19 6.2. Blindness and Vision Loss ............................................................... 19 6.3. Deafness and Hearing Loss .............................................................. 21 6.4. Older Persons .................................................................................... 22 6.5. Intellectual disability ......................................................................... 22 6.6. Learning Disability............................................................................. 23 6.7. Physical Disability ............................................................................. 23 6.8. Mental Illness ..................................................................................... 23 6.9. Other Impairments ............................................................................. 24 7. Accessible Publishing Formats .............................................................. 25 7.1. Font ..................................................................................................... 25 7.2. Online ................................................................................................. 25 7.3. Captioning .......................................................................................... 26 7.4. New Zealand Sign Language ............................................................ 26 8. Contact Details ......................................................................................... 27
4 9. Last Word ................................................................................................. 28 Appendix 1: History of Disability Perspectives ......................................... 29 1800: The Darwinian Lens .....................................................................................................29 1868: The Institutional Lens .................................................................................................29 1918: The War Hero / Charity Lens....................................................................................29 1945: The Medical Lens ..........................................................................................................30 1960: The Rights Based Lens ..............................................................................................30 2011: The Social Lens .............................................................................................................30 2012: Be.’s Accessibility Lens ............................................................................................30
5 1. Welcome Welcome to the Be. Media Accessibility Guide, your personal guide to writing and producing stories about accessibility. Be. Accessible is excited about this opportunity to invite you on a journey to improve how we frame and tell stories about accessibility and disability. Be. Accessible’s hope is that together we can find a new way to respect the value and contribution of people with access needs, which in turn will inspire great leadership in the media. In connection with this guide, we encourage you to read the Be. Leadership Profile stories, a booklet profiling the individual stories of our 15 Be. Leadership participants in 2012. These provide positive examples of stories that can be told with the accessibility lens that we promote in this guide. 1.1. What is Be. Accessible? Be. Accessible is a social change campaign and movement, with a vision for a 100% accessible country for us all. Through a number of initiatives, the campaign inspires and informs New Zealanders of opportunities to improve physical and social access so that we may all contribute fully to society. Be. Accessible is managed by the Be. Institute, a social enterprise that works across all sectors and communities throughout New Zealand. Founding partners of the Be. Institute are Auckland Council, Auckland University of Technology and Auckland District Health Board. Founding trustees are John Allen (CEO, MFAT), Mark Bagshaw (MD, Innov8 Consulting Group), Mary- Jane Rivers (Founder, Inspiring Communities), Ian Scherger (Former Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Australia and Founder of Brandman) and Ross Brereton (former CEO, the Disabled Persons Assembly of NZ). The Be. Institute is supported by the New Zealand government through the Ministry of Social Development to realise its vision of creating a country that is viewed as the model nation for valuing accessibility and diversity. The Be. Institute has formed an agile and responsive learning community of individuals and organisations across the country that are committed to social change and to constantly growing, improving and adapting in order to improve peoples lives.
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To find out more about Be. Accessible and the team, visit the website:
www.beaccessible.org.nz
1.2. Why a guide on Accessibility?
Imagine a world where every person, building and community is truly
accessible. That world is what Be. Accessible has set out to create and the
media play a crucial role in making this happen.
The media are society’s great influencers and play both a leader and
commenter role. Statistics (see below) around the exclusion of disabled
people from society have spurred the great need for social change and the
media have the opportunity to help lead this process. As leaders of public
opinion its role is crucial in shaping the way that society views issues relating
to disability and now accessibility.
The purpose of this accessibility pack is to provide a useful opportunity for the
media to reflect on its approach to telling stories about disability and
accessibility so that it may add further depth, interest and currency to stories
and in turn, enhance the inclusion of disabled people in society.
Some facts about accessibility in New Zealand:
1 in 4 of us lives with disability of some kind, and this does not include
older people with access needs, parents with pushchairs or young
children, and people with temporary injury or illness
All children have unique learning styles
59% of us over 65 years have at least one impairment
50% of disabled adults of working age earn less than $20,000 per year
Parents with pushchairs have many of the same needs as a person in
a wheelchair
A study in the Greater Wellington Region showed that, by 2026, the
number of people over 65 will be greater than the number of people
under 15
“All people in this country have a right to achieve to their
potential. And we as a country will not achieve to our
potential, until and unless they can.”
- John Allen, Chair Be. Institute7 1.3. Be. Media Training In addition to this support pack, Be. Accessible can also provide tailored in- depth media training. This training expands and brings to life the principles and ideas that have been highlighted in this support pack. To find out more about Be. Media Training, please contact Be. Accessible on 0800 Be. in touch (0800 234 686). Or email us on media@beaccessible.org.nz. 1.4. Example Stories Be. Accessible has been working closely with several media outlets to develop stories that highlight the potential benefits of accessibility to society. Some great examples include: Capturing the “Access Dollar”, TVNZ Breakfast, Nadine Chalmers-Ross Tapping into the accessibility economy, Rachel Ramsay, Idealog Why Diversity Really Matters, Ruth Le Pla, NZ Management Magazine Cover Story An access story just waiting to be written, Rob O’Neill, Sunday Star Times These stories and more can be found at: www.beaccessible.org.nz/the-movement/media 1.5. History of the Accessibility Movement Throughout history, perceptions of disability and accessibility have changed dramatically. We encourage the media and the wider community to understand these developments in order to see where we have come from, so that our ambitions for the future are well informed.
8 See Appendix 1 for an explanation of each of the lenses that have developed throughout history. Today, we are in the middle of another shift in thinking; the way we perceive people’s ability to access the world around them is changing once again toward the Be. lens of Accessibility (see Key Messages in Section 4).
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2. Be. Accessible Goals
Together we have the power to shift changes in thinking in society towards
accessibility.
To do this, we need to:
Promote the Be. Accessible lens and vision to create an accessible
world and what that means for all of us!
Educate New Zealanders about accessibility so that it becomes a
genuine consideration in our physical and social environments.
Promote positive and inclusive attitudes towards people needing
accessibility.
Portray people with disability in the media respectfully as valuable
contributing members of society, avoiding old frames and the
stereotypes of victims, charity recipients and being known as the
“other”
Create an understanding that we will all benefit from improved access
as we age or become parents and require pushchairs to get around
with children.1
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3. Key Messages
3.1. The Be. Lens of Accessibility
The Accessibility Lens changes the emphasis from barriers and exclusion to a
sense of engagement and generosity from every member of society. By
working together in a creative and imaginative way, all in society can
celebrate the opportunity accessibility offers.
This lens allows us to see the magic in possibility while also keeping us
grounded and genuine. It allows people to find new common ground with
each other and it encourages a community where we all take responsibility for
creating the best and most accessible world imaginable, individually and
collectively.
When using the Accessibility Lens in stories, we use the new language which
is about “accessibility” rather than “disability”; about possibility rather than
limitation; about innovation rather than the status quo. We talk about access
citizens, access customers, and the access economy.
By doing this, we can shape the perceptions of the world around us, towards
understanding accessibility as an optimistic and inclusive concept. By using
this angle in stories, we can push the boundaries of how society conceives of
accessibility, so that they embrace the diversity and creativity that accessibility
brings to the world.
3.2. We will all have accessibility needs at some point
in our lives
About 1.1 million Kiwis (1 in 4) live with disability. Add to this fact that all of us
are likely to develop disability as we grow older. And, when we have children,
getting around can be difficult if we choose to use a pushchair making good
access an important part of our lives.
This customer group is one of the largest, so businesses and communities
that embrace the accessibility vision will directly benefit by being able to tap
into as well as generate more opportunities from the access economy.
Some key facts about accessibility:
1 in 4 New Zealanders live with disability of some kind1
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50% of people over 65 will have at least one impairment and this
number will grow over the next decade
1 in 20 children have special education needs
A study in the Greater Wellington Region showed that by 2026, the
number of people over 65 will be greater than the number of people
under 15
3.3. Human Rights
All people in this world have the right to participate in and contribute to society
to the greatest extent possible. However, the Disability Survey 2006 showed
that disabled people face significant barriers to make a meaningful and
valuable contribution to society. For example, they are likely to have:
Less educational qualifications
Less employment opportunities
Lower personal incomes
Less opportunity to benefit from the support of a partner or spouse
New Zealand has been a leader on the world’s stage of accessibility rights by
being a key driver of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability,
which was adopted on 13 December 2006. Our stories and communications
should therefore promote the inherent rights that all people have to be
respected and portrayed with dignity.
The New Zealand Disability Strategy (2001) describes disability as:
"The process which happens when one group of people creates barriers by
designing a world only for their way of living, taking no account of the
impairments other people have. Our society is built in a way that assumes that
we can all move quickly from one side of the road to the other; that we can all
see signs, read directions, hear announcements, reach buttons, have the
strength to open heavy doors and have stable moods and perceptions."1
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4. The Be. Way
The “Be. Way” encompasses a number of ways in which we can all tell
positive stories of accessibility.
4.1. Be. Human – Put the Person First
“- Are you disabled?
- No, I’m Emily.”
It is inherent to being human that we all live with a range of ability. Stories
written from the accessibility perspective should therefore embrace this focus
on the essence of the person who is central to the story. This new lens
focuses firstly and primarily on the person, not their disability, allowing the
audience to connect on a human level with the person and hear about their
opinions and ideas.
It is easy for us to do things the way they have always been done, such as
taking a person’s impairment or medical diagnosis as the main thread of the
story because it is an ‘easy’ point of focus. However, where it is not
necessarily relevant to the story, we can choose to focus on the person,
rather than their disability. For example, a teacher who has achieved
something remarkable with their students does not need to be referred to as a
‘teacher with muscular dystrophy’ unless it is actually relevant to the story.
4.2. Be. Positive
The accessibility lens focuses hugely on positivity and seeing the possibilities
of a truly accessible world. Therefore, in stories where a person’s disability is
a central feature of the story, using the accessibility perspective allows us to
focus on the positive, rather than negative, effects of this on the community.
The goal is to create stories that focus on who the person really is and what
their opinions and ideas are. This can be done by using positive language and
avoiding the use of the person’s disability for dramatic effect.
It’s a simple matter of reframing; for example, rather than saying “the boy who
is confined to a wheelchair”, say “the boy who uses a wheelchair.” The latter
phrase empowers the person, rather than limits them, and portrays the1
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message that the person has made an autonomous choice to use the
wheelchair as a mode of transport, rather than it being imposed on them.
4.3. Be. Respectful
The new accessibility lens views all people as equal and worthy of respect
and dignity. All people can, and do, contribute in huge ways to the
community, so stories can be more interesting when they communicate the
value that people bring as respected members of society.
Older models viewed people with disability through a charitable lens, however
we are moving away from this sense of pity and towards an attitude of
celebration and appreciation for all people.
People with certain types of disability may have particular needs when being
interviewed, for example using hand gestures as well as moving your mouth,
when speaking to a deaf person. Specific etiquette for different types of
disability is outlined in section 6 of this book.
4.4. Be. Authentic
The accessibility lens focuses on acknowledging in totality the lives of all
people and their contributions to society.
Stereotypes are often a difficult thing to break down, and the ones
surrounding people with disability are no different. Often in the past, people
with disability were portrayed as ‘victims’ who had ‘overcome’ difficulties to get
to where they are, or achieved success ‘despite’ their disability.
However, as with any stereotype, this does not encompass the reality of each
individual, so we should approach stories with an open mind, always giving
the person the opportunity to tell their story in their own way.
The general rule to remember here is that a person living with disability is the
same as any person. Their successes are as valuable and hard-earned as
any other human; and many of their challenges are applicable to all people.
For example, a successful entrepreneur, who happens to live with disability,
will have faced challenges in growing their business which would be exactly
the same as any other entrepreneur.1
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It is also important to be careful not to put labels onto people - no one
disability is the same, and there are varying degrees of each, so we should
avoid lumping everyone in the same basket i.e. “the Deaf”.
4.5. Be. Informed
If you know that your story is focusing on a particular disability, there are
plenty of organisations in New Zealand that are more than happy to provide
you with some background information.
We also recommend that you treat Be. Accessible as a place of first contact.
Be. Accessible will be able to refer you to specialist disability service providers
and disability organisations.
You are welcome to call the office anytime on 0800 Be. in touch (0800 234
686).
4.6. Be. Honest
Every person has a different approach and experience when being
interviewed for a news story. It’s important to remember that people with
disability are just the same; take each story as it comes with an open mind.
For example, some people with disability may prefer to answer their questions
through a personal advocate, while others wish to speak independently.
The best approach is to be honest. If you feel unsure about the disability
being discussed, don’t be afraid to ask for more information or clarify certain
information with your interview subject.1
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5. Be. Guided
This guide is designed to give you a helping hand when talking about
accessibility through the new Be. Lens.
Throughout this document, we’ve used different phrases to describe persons
with disability as ‘disabled people’, ‘a person with disability’, and ‘a person
with access needs’. These three ways of describing people each have their
value and there is no absolute consensus about their use at this point in time.
However, we would increasingly encouraging people to use the access frame.
5.1. Language
Language is a powerful and influential tool. Here are some useful tips on the
type of language that is most effective to use and what to avoid. This
language guide was created by the Paralympics NZ and the International
Paralympic Committees.
Avoid Use
The handicapped
Physically Disabled
The physically handicapped
Normal athletes Able-bodied athletes
A person with paraplegia or
A paraplegic or quadriplegic
quadriplegia
Deaf person or person with a hearing
Deaf dumb / Deaf mute
impairment
A retard / the retarded A person with an intellectual disability
Spastic
A person with …
NB: This term is often used to describe
(the motor neurone condition, e.g.
people with a motor neurone condition
cerebral palsy)
because they often have difficulty with
speech or motor skills
Abnormal, subnormal, defective,
deformed
Specify the disability
NB: These are negative terms which
imply failure to reach personal
perfection
Say the person has…
Afflicted with
(the disability1
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Confined to a wheelchair
Say uses a wheelchair
NB: A wheelchair provides mobility
and is not confining
Cripple or crippled
Say with a physical impairment
NB: These words convey a negative
image of a twisted ugly body
Disease (when used as equal to
disability)
NB: Many disability, such as cerebral Say disability
palsy and spinal injuries, are not
caused by any illness or disease
Stumps
NB: This has the connotation that the Say amputation
person’s limbs were cut off like a tree
Suffers from / sufferer
Say is / has … (the disability
NB: People with disability do not
necessarily suffer
Victim
NB: People with disability are not Say is / has … (the disability)
necessarily victims and usually prefer
not to be perceieved as such
5.2. Interviewing Etiquette
To begin with, here are a few general tips on etiquette for interviewing
someone with disability.
Allow the interviewee to choose the location of the interview – this will
ensure they are in a comfortable environment, which is accessible for
them.
When speaking to a person with disability talk directly to them, even if
they are with a companion or using an interpreter.
Do not demean your interviewee by speaking in a loud, slow manner.
Just because someone may have a physical impairment does not
mean that they are hard of hearing.
Sit at the same level as your interviewee.
Act naturally – don’t be embarrassed about using common expressions
– for example, saying “see you later” to someone with a visual
impairment is quite appropriate.1
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Always ask before rushing in to assist your interviewee.
When greeting a person, shake their hand, even if the person has
limited use of their hand. The person will let you know if the action is
appropriate or not.
We also asked the participants of the 2011 Be. Leadership Programme (a
one-year programme which develops leaders from the access community) to
tell us some of the best and worst questions and stories that they had
encountered in their experience with the media.
We hope that these questions may provide a real insight into how we can all
improve our interviewing skills when engaging with someone from the access
community.
The best media questions were mostly open ones that allowed for genuine
conversation and expansion of answers, such as:
Why do you keep advocating?
What do you think about…?
What benefit are you getting out of …?
Why do you think you’ve achieved so much?
What has been your greatest success to date?
The questions that the Be. Leaders felt could have been framed better,
generally focused on the negative aspects of living with disability, such as:
What’s it like to live with your disability?
Do you really think that you can make a difference?
Is that your only disability?
Can you actually hear?
How long have you been in a chair?
They also noted that there was often a lack of questions about everyday life
i.e relationships, love, family and lifestyle.
As an audience, the Be. Leaders were most inspired and encouraged by
holistic stories that focused on the personality and successes of the person,
rather than simply their disability. A good example of this was the general
coverage of the Paralympics which they believed was a successful and
respectful discussion about accessibility issues.1
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From their perspective, the worst stories that they had seen were largely
focused on a comparison with ‘being normal’, and also used the typical
disability stereotype of ‘being broken’ and ‘getting fixed’. This is a significant
departure from the new lens through which we encourage the media to
portray disability. All human beings have a range of access needs. To depict
someone as ‘broken’ because of, for example, a vision impairment, is
discriminatory and degrading.
5.3. Photography Etiquette
They say an image paints a thousand words so, when photographing people
with disability, it is important to show empowered, unique and active members
of society.
A common mistake is to deliberately make the subject ‘look’ disabled. Rather
than focusing on the impairment, photographs are best when they capture the
person in their everyday environment, talking about and doing the activities
that they love.
Again it comes back to putting the person first, not the disability.
Some great examples of photographs of people living active and engaging
lives can be found here: www.realisticreflections.com1
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6. Portraying People Well
There are times when it is appropriate to give detail about someone’s
impairment. We’ve created some helpful hints to guide you in these
situations.
6.1. Autism
This is often referred to as ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ because of the
differing degrees of impact and a variety of manifestations. It includes
Asperger syndrome, a form of autism at the higher functioning end of the
spectrum.
Refer to ‘a person with autism’ rather than an ‘autistic person’. This avoids
the stereotype of defining a person entirely by their disability.
Social interactions, communication and imagination are difficult for people
with autism, as they tend to take a very literal view of the world. However they
are often extremely talented in a particular area such as music, mathematics
or technology.
When interviewing someone with autism, it is important to ask clear questions
that do not use too much figurative language. Don’t get frustrated with the
person if they display repetitive behaviour. Be patient and relaxed – this will
help to make them feel more comfortable.
Information kindly provided by Autism NZ
6.2. Blindness and Vision Loss
The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) believes that vision
loss should be portrayed as a challenge where learning new skills can lead to
independence.
If you wish to convey a positive depiction of blindness to your audience, it
must be done in a way which conveys a realistic understanding of the
challenges of blindness and the techniques and ‘enablers’ that can be used to
meet those challenges.
When photographing a person with a vision impairment, always obtain
permission and give them an audible cue as to where to look.2
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When interviewing someone who is blind, make sure you introduce yourself
immediately; even though they may have met you before, they may not
recognise your voice. Tell them when you are entering or leaving the room,
so that they are not left in mid-conversation. Always face the person when
speaking to them, and direct questions to them, not the person they are with.
There is no need to talk especially loud to someone who is blind; just talk
clearly. You may use words like ‘see’ and ‘look’ when talking, and always
face the person when you are talking to them.
When guiding someone who is blind, give them specific directions like ‘behind
you, on your left’, or ‘I’m putting the cup by your right hand.’ Avoid general
comments such as ‘over here’ or ‘it’s there’.
If you are going to guide someone, let them know what you are doing before
you do it. Say: “I’m just going to take your right arm.” Better still, offer your
arm bent at the elbow, to which the person can hold on.
Guide dog puppies and guide dogs in training
Always greet the owner before you greet a guide dog and, if you wish to pat
the dog, ask the owner if they mind (some people prefer their service dogs not
to be distracted while they are ‘working’). Owners and their guide dogs are
usually photographed together as they are considered a ‘team’ but, again,
check it out with the person first.
Guide dog puppies may only be filmed or photographed for public/promotional
purposes if they are wearing their red coats (or brown training harnesses for
guide dogs in training). They should never be depicted in ‘costume’, unless it
is a photo of a puppy participating in the “guide dog puppy fun day fancy
dress competition”.
A Guide Dog Services staff member must be present for any events involving
a puppy younger than 12 weeks old, and they cannot be asked to complete a
task that is normally ‘illegal’ for it to do, e.g. getting up on furniture, or tasks
that they have not yet been taught.
Continued repetition of a task is not appropriate for the purposes of obtaining
a particular photograph/filming sequence. The dog shall not be made
uncomfortable by placing it in an inappropriate position i.e. making it stand for
too long, or lie down on a rough surface, and appropriate shelter, water, and
relieving opportunities should be available.
The dog’s level of anxiety and apprehension towards the environment
(camera equipment, location, different people) should always be considered,
and adjustments to the session made accordingly.2
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Information kindly provided by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the
Blind.
6.3. Deafness and Hearing Loss
Deaf refers to a degree of hearing loss which affects peoples’ ability to
understand speech through their ears. Appropriate terms to use are hearing
impaired, hearing loss, hard of hearing, or person who is Deaf.
A capital ‘D’ is used in Deaf when referring to the Deaf community who
choose to use sign language and identify with that community. A small ‘d’ is
used when referring to hearing-loss or a large group of people who are deaf
or hearing-impaired, many of whom do not use sign language or identify with
the Deaf community.
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is the third official language in NZ along
with Te Reo Maori and English.
You can communicate with Deaf people in several ways – including NZSL,
spoken English or a mixture of both. Not all Deaf people can lip read – it is
estimated that 70 percent of lip reading is guesswork, even if the speaker
articulates clearly.
Where possible, book an NZSL interpreter (for more info, visit
www.deaf.org.nz). If time does not allow you to book an interpreter, use these
following tips:
Face the Deaf person and gain their attention before speaking. Eye
contact is very important so try to maintain it and don’t turn away when
the Deaf person is signing.
Deaf people gain others’ attention by waving, stamping, touching or
tapping one another, or switching lights on and off.
If you didn’t understand what a person signed to you, ask them to sign
it again. It’s ok to check, clarify, or request that they to slow down.
If the Deaf person did not understand you, rephrase your words in a
different way, and add body language and facial expressions. Speak
slowly and clearly.
Keep your lips and face clear of obstruction (hands, cups, chewing
gum, large moustaches).
Deaf people need sufficient personal space for arm movements.2
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Deaf people can’t interrupt conversations the way hearing people can.
They need to see what is being said, so can only pay attention to one
person at a time. Deaf people wait until another person stops signing,
before they start signing.
To talk in a group situation, signers usually have eye contact with all
‘listeners’, wait for others to stop signing, then move hand/s slowly to
start signing, and lift a finger or wave a hand (in a meeting this means ‘I
want to talk’).
Dim light makes it hard to see facial expressions and NZSL; try not to
stand in front of a window.
Avoid background noise when communicating with someone who has
a hearing aid.
Use simple gestures, write information and point to indicate subjects or
objects.
At meetings, sit in a semi-circle or circle so everyone can see each
other.
Eye contact is extremely important for Deaf people; it is frustrating for
them when the person they are signing to looks away.
It is helpful to recognise that NZSL is the first language of many deaf
people, and so it is inappropriate to assume that they are fluent in
written and oral English.
Information kindly provided by Deaf Aotearoa.
6.4. Older Persons
Older people may have many types of disability as a result of their age. It is
acceptable to refer to someone as an older person, elderly, or an elder.
However it would be appropriate to ask them about this first – as they say,
you’re only as old as you feel!
6.5. Intellectual disability
There are thousands of forms of intellectual disability, but it’s not appropriate
to ask a person what their disability is. The most common are conditions such2
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as Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome and Prada Willi Syndrome, but there
are many others. The best term to use is ‘person with intellectual disability’.
When interviewing a person with an intellectual disability it may be necessary
for a support person, family member or interpreter to attend. Give the person
plenty of time to answer your questions.
Information kindly provided by IHC New Zealand
6.6. Learning Disability
Learning disability, such as dyslexia and ADHD are quite common, but are
often not immediately visible. A learning disability affects the way an
individual takes in, retains and expresses information. The correct way to
refer to it in a story is to say ‘person with a learning disability’, rather than
‘slow learner’, ‘retarded’ or ‘dyslexic’.
6.7. Physical Disability
There are many different types of physical disability, some of which people
live with since birth. Others have developed or acquired disability during their
lifetime, as a result of injury or accident. It is always important to clarify with
the person how they would like their physical disability to be referred to in their
story. If the person uses a wheelchair, you can empower them by calling
them a ‘wheelchair user’ rather than a ‘person confined to a wheelchair’ or
‘wheelchair-bound’; the former reference illustrates that the wheelchair is a
mode of transport chosen by the person, rather than it being imposed on
them.
6.8. Mental Illness
A person should only be described as having a psychiatric disability such as
psychosis or schizophrenia in a proper medical context. It is inappropriate to
use words such as ‘crazy’, ‘maniac’, ‘lunatic’, ‘schitzo’ or ‘psycho‘..
The best terms to use are ‘person with experience of mental illness (or mental
distress).2
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For more information about mental illness, contact the Mental Health
Foundation. www.mentalhealth.org.nz
6.9. Other Impairments
There are hundreds if not thousands of other impairments and this media list has
only addressed language in relation to a few of the most well known as a start. For
any assistance with other impairment groups feel free to contact us directly on 0800
Be. in touch.2
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7. Accessible Publishing Formats
As leaders of accessibility, the media have the opportunity to produce stories
in accessible formats as many people with access needs struggle to read and
hear standard publishing.
Greater accessibility of publishing formats means that more people will be
able to appreciate your stories and be informed and included in their
community. An accessible news story not only benefits those who require the
access features but it also means that the media outlets will have access to a
greater pool of consumers with whom to share stories.
Below are some quick tips to enhance the accessibility of your stories.
However, we highly recommend that you get in touch with us to embark on a
Be. Welcome journey which will assess where you’re at in terms of
accessibility. We will then work with you to implement solutions that are
practical and well-considered so that your media outlet can begin the journey
towards 100% accessibility for all of society.
7.1. Font
Print material would ideally be a sans serif font in a minimum of 12
point font
Use a distinctly larger font size for headings so that they are easily
identifiable
Use a text colour that easily contrasts with the background, e.g. black
on white
Use extra styling on font sparingly, e.g. underlining and italics
People with vision impairments prefer text to be aligned to the left
rather than justified, as it gives them a better sense of the shape of
sentences and paragraphs
7.2. Online
People with vision impairments usually have screen readers, so if your
content is available in an online format, this is ideal for them2
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Online content is also helpful for those who may have a physical
impairment making it difficult to travel to shops to buy hard copies
PDFs cannot be read by all screen readers, so either provide the
content in Word, or as an RTF file
Further advice is available at www.w3.org/WAI
When using photos, provide an alt-tag that describes the picture to
someone using a screen reader
7.3. Captioning
Films, video and television programming should be captioned for those who
are unable to hear.
7.4. New Zealand Sign Language
Did you know that New Zealand Sign Language is one of our country’s three
official languages and is used by 28,000 New Zealanders?
For many Deaf people NZSL is their primary language, before written English,
so providing information and stories in NZSL allows this community to be fully
informed and participate in society.
If you require assistance with translating material into NZSL, we recommend
that you contact Seeflow (www.seeflow.co.nz), an innovative online
translation service.
Be. Accessible has been using Seeflow to translate our monthly newsletters
for a year now, and have found that it is an invaluable part of communicating
to all New Zealanders.
New Zealand Sign Language is also extremely fun and easy to learn! Deaf
Aotearoa (www.deaf.co.nz) provide quick and enjoyable NZSL classes – so
why not get your team together and learn a few simple words and phrases?
You never know when it might come in handy!2
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8. Contact Details
The Be. Institute is always more than happy to talk to you about your stories
and refer you on to other specialist individuals and organisations for more
information.
Be. Institute
Phone: 0800 Be. In Touch (0800 234 686)
Email: media@beaccessible.org.nz
Website: www.beaccessible.org.nz
Postal Address: PO Box 5614, Wellesley St, Auckland 11412
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9. Last Word
Thank you for the time and interest you’ve invested in reading this
accessibility pack.
Remember, it takes time to introduce the new frames, lenses and language
that create authentic social change.
Thank you for beginning this journey with us and being open to new ways of
thinking and communicating.
As we mentioned in the beginning of this support pack, this is a living
document and will continue to evolve.
We would love to hear from you and welcome your input into how we can
continue to improve the way we frame accessibility.
It is important that we are all heading in the same direction, towards greater
accessibility for all people.
Let’s all Be. Accessible.
“If we get the world right for disabled people, we get it right
for everybody.” – Minnie Baragwanath2
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Appendix 1: History of Disability
Perspectives
While the following lenses are captured sequentially over time, they actually
overlap and exist as layers that make up our prevailing world view of
disability, disabled people and accessibility today. Our view of disabled people
has been directly shaped by key environmental, social, legal and political
influences throughout our history. Until we understand these and their impact
we will struggle to truly shift the position of people with accessibility needs
who make up at least 20% of our society today.
1800: The Darwinian Lens
From the 1800s up until the early 20th Century, Social Darwinism dominated
the perspective of disability issues; it emphasised survival of the fittest in the
social and political realm, pushing people with disability to the outside of
society. Especially in New Zealand, where the ability to work the land and be
productive and physically strong was revered, people with physical disability
were largely marginalised. This was further expanded by Darwin’s cousin,
Galton, who coined the term ‘eugenics’ and suggested that the species could
be developed by ‘rational selection’ of humans.
1868: The Institutional Lens
During the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, society began to separate
people with disability from those without, and enacted things such as the 1868
Lunatic Act, and separate schooling for disabled children. The emphasis
during this period was on isolating disabled people into a separate group,
which reinforced a sense of ‘otherness’ for them in society.
1918: The War Hero / Charity Lens
After WWI, a new perspective on disability developed. Soldiers who returned
home with wounds and newfound disability were treated as heroes, and
society developed a charity lens through which they viewed people with
disability, regarding them as people who had overcome hardships and
tragedy.3
0
1945: The Medical Lens
By the end of WWII, a more welfare-focused society embraced returned
soldiers with disability, however a separatist attitude still pervaded people’s
attitudes. At this time, there were also medical developments that focused
on ‘fixing’ people with disability. The focus here was on what was ‘wrong’ with
the individual; it did not consider the attitudes or social constructs of society
around the people with disability. Nor did it include disabled people in a time
of growth, when there could have been several opportunities for the
employment of disabled people.
1960: The Rights Based Lens
Largely catalysed by 1960’s civil rights movement, the disability rights
movement also took hold in NZ. In the 1980s and 1990s, political and
economic changes brought about a neo-liberal focus in society. This
impacted welfare benefits, which became more stringent, often excluding
people with disability. However, at the same time, the disability community
began advocating for their rights. 1981 was the United Nations International
Year of the Disabled Person, which highlighted disability issues in New
Zealand and saw the birth of the Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA).
Interestingly, however, disability wasn’t included as a ground if discrimination
in the New Zealand Human Rights Act until as recently as 1993!
2011: The Social Lens
“Disability is in society, not in me.” - Consultation Documents for the New
Zealand Disability Strategy written in 2001.
In the past decade, discourse on disability has been dominated by the ‘social
model’, which theorises that ‘disability’ is created by society and places
responsibility on systems and structures to ‘fix barriers’ (in contrast to the
medical model’s crusade to ‘fix people”. The social model also prompted a
significant shift in language, from “people with disability” to “disabled people”,
emphasising the fact that people have impairments and are only disabled by
their environment.
2012: Be.’s Accessibility LensYou can also read
