Disability charity United Response has published an easy read summary of last week’s budget speech. Using simple words and images, the publication aims to make the Chancellor’s announcement more accessible to the 1.5 million people with learning disabilities in the UK.
United Response’s easy read budget summary has been published as a special edition of the charity’s accessible news magazine, Easy News. The magazine was created to present news to people with learning disabilities in an easy to understand format, after research carried out by the charity showed that only 37% of people with learning disabilities could name a recent news event.
Rachel Bowen, United Response’s campaigns officer, said: “The Budget is a hugely important part of British politics and also one of the most inaccessible. Every year the Chancellor delivers an array of changes to spending policies, which can have a big impact on people’s lives but which can also be very difficult to understand. This is especially true for people with learning disabilities who often find it hard to absorb complex information.
“People with learning disabilities should have access to the same information as everyone else. The intention behind Easy News has always been to make the news more accessible for people with learning disabilities, who are so often excluded from debates just because information isn’t presented in a way that makes sense to them.
“MPs are already debating the new policies outlined in the budget and on Tuesday will be discussing the new welfare cap before voting on the new measure on Wednesday. It’s an issue which is likely to be of real importance for people with learning disabilities as many rely on support from benefits such as disability living allowance, personal independence payment and housing benefit. However, without accessible information, many people will be unaware of the changes and won’t be able to tell politicians what they think. We hope that our easy read summary will help to change that.”
The special budget edition of Easy News can be downloaded at: www.unitedresponse.org.uk/press/campaigns/easy-news/
Further reading: Easy News helps increase people with learning disabilities’ engagement with current affairs
