One week before the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections, the One in Five campaign produced their Accessible Manifesto Report Card on the accessibility of the main political party manifestos.
The One in Five campaign aims to increase political participation among disabled people in Scotland and believes that removing the barriers disabled people face when accessing politics will help address the underrepresentation of disabled people in political life.
Since the campaign’s launch, just 14 months ago, One in Five’s team of nine cross-party ambassadors have signed up six of the main Parties to the One in Five Charter, which includes a commitment to produce material in a variety of formats. This includes Braille and Large Print for people with visual impairments, Easy Read for people with learning disabilities and a BSL videos for people with hearing impairments.
Commenting, a One in Five spokesperson said:
“We are delighted to see an array of accessible manifestos from across the political spectrum. This is the first Scottish Parliament election since the main political parties signed our Charter committing to make politics more accessible to disabled people.
In recent weeks, the parties have shown a willingness to engage with us, seeking advice in order to maximise their own support.
Whilst cost and underestimating the time it takes to produce accessible manifestos were the most common obstacles, we now have a minimum standard for each party for future elections.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
One in Five Charter www.oneinfive.scot
One Year On Press Release: http://www.oneinfive.scot/one-year-on/
Contact: Jamie Szymkowiak 07734392582
