Disability charity United Response has published a special edition of its accessible news magazine Easy News summarising the results of the Scottish Referendum.
The summary is the third special edition of Easy News, which was created in 2013 by United Response to make news easier to understand for the 1.5 million people with learning disabilities in the UK; many of whom find more traditional sources of news complex and difficult to understand. Easy News uses simplified words and images, and has been created by UR Consultants, a group of people with learning disabilities supported by United Response.
This special edition of the magazine outlines details of what each side hoped for, how the votes were cast and counted and what this means for the future of Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The high level of engagement and turn-out in the Scottish Referendum clearly show how the UK is governed is very important to many people. United Response hopes that its Easy News special will enable people with learning disabilities to also take part in that debate.
United Response hopes that by making news and current affairs more accessible, people with learning disabilities and other disadvantaged groups will find it easier to follow political debate and therefore be better equipped to take part in the voting process themselves in 2015. Most people with learning disabilities are eligible to vote, but the number of people voting still remains low.
When United Response first published Easy News last year, only 31% of readers felt that politics made a difference to their lives, but now 78% of readers do.
Diane Lightfoot, director of communications at United Response, said: “We hope that people will find this special edition of Easy News useful. The outcome of the referendum will have an impact on the way that the whole of the United Kingdom is governed and it is important that people with learning disabilities have the opportunity to form their own opinion on that and understand the changes when they happen.”
To download the Easy News special and to find out more about it, click here.
