News
First Minister Urged to Increase Access to Information - 20 Mar 2003
Scottish transcription charity, Cue and Review Recording Service last week asked Jack McConnell to help them to reach out to Scotland's 88,000 visually impaired people. What is the point in spending public money on transcribing materials into audio formats if no one tells blind people that this has happened?
In speaking to the First Minister and other cabinet colleagues, cueandreview.org.uk Managing Editor Alastair McPhee urged them to ensure best value for the investment of public and voluntary sector resources. He suggested that they follow the lead of East Dunbartonshire Council who have just distributed an audiocassette to all 704 visually impaired people on their register. This tape produced by the charity highlights not just talking newspapers but the range of Council services available to the whole community.
An increasing number of organisations are following the lead given by the Scottish Executive in ensuring that their print materials are recorded onto audio cassette or now onto MP3 for distribution on the Internet. To reach visually impaired people is proving difficult however as at present the register of Visually Impaired people is held by local authorities and can be cleaned annually by the Scottish Executive. Data Protection legislation precludes the 60 Talking Newspaper Groups in Scotland having direct access to this information so we are dependant on sighted people telling their blind friends of the range of services available.
Alastair urged the First Minister to encourage:
1. his executive to provide information on general services for the blind to be distributed to every person on the register.
2. For the Executive or local authorities to provide funding to enable Talking Newspaper Groups to provide a local tape for distribution in their area.
3. MSPs to make their information available in print no smaller that Arial 14pt and that any print materials highlight that they can be made available in alternative formats.
