Category: Policy development general

Shaping perceptions of ageing

An interesting finding in a report on ageism is that there is a lack of people willing to talk about older people and ageing. That is, compared to other interest groups. I wonder if this is true. Or is it part of the general stereotyping or prejudice that the report has highlighted? Are age advocacy groups and researchers invisible as well? The report is about perceptions of ageing.

“It is vital that older people are humanised and valued in mainstream culture, with their voices amplified, and the issues they face told in an accurate and balanced way.” Robert Fitzgerald AM, Age Discrimination Commissioner

A child is kneeling down by the side of a lily pond. Her mother on one side and her grandmother on the other, also kneeling down. Grandfather is standing behind watching them.

Although the Human Rights Commission’s report is about older people, ageism can happen at any age. Young people are just as likely to experience ageism as well. Demographers and marketers divide the population into segments, which isn’t helpful especially when assigning specific characteristics to each group.

The executive summary of the Human Rights Commission’s report begins with a good explanation of ageism:

“Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed towards people based simply on their age. Ageism remains pervasive and normalised … it is one of the most socially accepted forms of prejudice in Australia.”

Four older men wearing hats sit at a square table in the park.

The media shapes perceptions

Demographers and marketers aside, the media plays an important role in reflecting and shaping how older people are perceived. Finding appropriate experts to talk about older people, and not just ageism, is key. But they have to be aware of their own stereotyping too.

The late Stella Young called out “inspiration porn” for people with disability. We must do the same for older people. Anything that a younger person can do should not become an inspirational story when an older person does it. It might be a human interest story for the media but it reinforces stereotypes albeit positive.

Conversely, older people are more often portrayed as a burden on society. Stories reflect the deficit model of inability, incapacity and vulnerability. Terms such as “the elderly” immediately stereotype everyone over a certain age as all being the same. However, the term “elderly” should not be confused with respectful term “elders” used in Indigenous communities.

Three opportunities for action

No experts: The reports suggests the media and the age sectors should get together to address the expert and advocate gap. Reshaping the narrative on ageing is a must.

Training: The best way to address the gap in media education and training is by the media co-designing training with advocates of older people. The age sector can also support and inform editorial practices on age-related reporting.

Community education: A communication campaign for the broader community is another key opportunity for change. More accurate and diverse representation of ageing as well as the coverage of different age groups is essential.

The title of the report is, Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing (2024). You can download the full report of 46 pages, or the Summary report from the Human Rights Commissison web page.

Front cover of the report. Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. By the Human Rights Commission.

The full report has some interesting and revealing comments by journalists, producers and editors. Their take on the subject of the lack of experts able to speak to the media is especially enlightening.


Older people in the media

Words matter. Our perceptions, beliefs and attitudes are shaped by the words we see and hear. The media relies on words for their work which has the power to influence, uphold or denigrate. Journalists must check their words for perpetuating stereotypes that harm, albeit unintentionally. The ageing sector must do the same. Yes, even older people perpetuate stereotypes in the language they use too.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has produced a report on how the media reports on ageing and older people.

“How we view the world and those around us is largely shaped by what we read, what we hear and what we watch. Media informs how we see
and treat others, and even how we see and treat ourselves.”
– Robert Fitzgerald AM, Age Discrimination Commissioner

Front cover of the report. Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. By the Human Rights Commission.

Ageism is one of the most socially accepted forms of prejudice in Australia. The media industry and the age sector must improve the accuracy, quantity and quality of coverage of the issues.

Image from the report showing a bank of screens and monitors and a woman sitting looking at them. There is a keyboard on the desk.

In the video below, Robert Fitzgerald explains that the overwhelming portrayal of older people is in the negative. This is particularly so when talking about health and aged care. The framing is that of a burden on society without recognising how this language impacts older people themselves. It also impacts policy-makers and private enterprise when it comes to providing goods and services.

Positive portrayals can also stereotype

The media and marketing professionals like to segment the population into age groups. They assume people in these age groups all have something in common or behave in a particular way. They also assume that each group is different from each other and have little in common. This is stereotyping. Even positive stereotyping is harmful especially when pitting older and younger cohorts against each other.

Highlighting a few prominent older Australians as being highly productive or contributing to society is portrayal by exception. It is only their age that makes it a story. For example a woman of 90 years, usually described as a “grandmother” taking a parachute jump. The only other time parachute jumpers make the news is if their parachute failed.

Ageing is not a charity case any more

Ageing and aged care left the charity model last century, but some aspects linger on. For example, special weeks or international days for older people only serve to perpetuate stereotypes and patronise. Stereotyping behaviour is difficult to overcome – it’s ingrained into our culture.

Key findings from the report

There are known and real issues with Australian media portrayals of ageing and older people. The prevailing narrative is of decline, frailty and vulnerability. Their everyday lived experience is invisible to the media.

Australian media representations reflect a broader mainstream culture that undervalues older people. Their issues are often regarded as ‘less than’ those affecting other groups.

The culture of undervaluing older people underpins media industry drivers. Some of these briefly include:

  • Lack of access to subject matter experts – people who can speak on ageing
  • Invisibility of age withing the diversity and inclusion space
  • Time, resources and lack of experienced journalists
  • Business drivers and ‘click bait’ nature of reporting especially around intergenerational tensions.
An older woman sits in an armchair. She is wearing a purple knitted jacket and is smiling into the camera. Ageing is ordinary.

The report reviews current knowledge and evidence on age and ageing and the way Australia media presents it. The title of the full report is, Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. There is also a summary report with the findings and opportunities for change. Even advocates for older people can fall into the trap of using language that patronises or emphasises ‘specialness’.

See also Ageing is ordinary and also Ageism, Attitudes and Stereotypes.

Spaces for all ages

Urban landscape with shade trees and lots of casual seating with people sitting.

Viewing older people through the prism of health and disability ignores their continuing contribution to society.  The 2015 Intergenerational Report talks of the ‘three Ps’ – population, participation and productivity. But where is the fourth P – policy? 

Emily Millane discusses the issues of ageism, employment and social participation in a percapita report. She asks, where is the fourth P, policy, and argues we need policies to overcome age discrimination in all its forms. This includes the design of public spaces, parks and streets. Urban design plays an important role here. It needs to capture all ages and foster interaction between generations. This strategy might be easier than changing community attitudes in the short term.

Older people are considered lesser value than others – something highlighted by the Royal Commission into Aged Care. By perpetuating the idea of being less capable or being a burden on society affects attitudes that are hard to shift. It also affect attitudes older people have about themselves.

The report is titled, Spaces for All Ages: policies for an inclusive Australia.

This report follows on from The head, The Heart and The House. 

Co-designing policy change

England, in post-Brexit mode, has taken a bold step in assessing the practicalities of co-design for broad policy change. However, national policy making systems are not structured for such a democratic process. Consequently, co-designing policy is a new challenge for the civil service. So this study of co-design for Environmental Land Management schemes is an important policy step forward.

Analysis revealed a mismatch between the principles and practices of environmental land management and co-design.

Policy co-design requires changes in government institutional cultures and practices.

A man in a checked shirt and a cap is standing in a bare field with a tractor in the background. He looks like a man on the land - a farmer.

This example of co-design processes is both broad and complex. The policy is about phasing out direct payments made to farmers and land managers. It’s also about creating a different system that aligns with other policy goals such as zero carbon emissions.

The Government’s co-design policy puts the responsibility on policy makers to be open to new ideas and ways of working. However, open policy making across the public services is not well defined. It seems the concept of open policy making has failed its commitment to less powerful groups. Indeed, it has given rise to involving the private sector elite experts.

Some of this failure is due to budget cuts across the public sector. Experienced staff were lost and then replaced with “experts”. Consequently, staff prefer the old consultation methods which are quicker and cheaper to run. Co-design methods, when done well, take more time and resources.

Three of the key challenges were:

  • lack of shared decision making in empowering stakeholders
  • confidentiality requirements causing barriers
  • insufficient transparency in how stakeholder views were used, or not
An aerial view of a farm with hedged square fields of green grass. One field has sheep grazing. There are three buildings with grey roofs.

Co-design for long term objectives

This important study highlights the need for ongoing commitment to long term policy development using co-design methods. It also highlights the importance of co-design for longer term objectives that need culture change to be effective. Without culture change the sustainability of the scheme or policy will be compromised.

The title of the paper is, Ideals and practicalities of policy co-design – Developing England’s post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. This is a significant piece of research with many lessons for policy makers and others involved in co-design processes. It goes beyond the co-design methods for individual projects, to broad-based policy aimed at long term outcomes and culture change.

Future of co-designing policy change

To enhance co-design methodologies the focus should be on refining and expanding them to ensure applicability across diverse policy domains. The role of emerging technologies could offer some assistance in different ways to facilitate co-design methods. The complexities of power dynamics and their impact on policy outcomes is another important factor to consider.

“This could be more achievable if policy-makers prioritize capacity building among stakeholders to facilitate their active participation in co-design processes. Providing training and resources to community members, especially those from underrepresented groups, will empower them to contribute meaningfully to policy development.”

Houses of Parliament in London showing the clock tower of Big Ben from the River Thames.

From the abstract

There are few examples of where co-design has been applied to active policy development on a large scale. England’s post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes offers a fascinating ‘laboratory’ to analyse how co-design at this scale works in practice. 

This paper offers the first in-depth empirical assessment of the process from the perspectives of both the policy makers and stakeholders. We provide critical insights on ‘pragmatic’ applications of co-design to active policy development. We reflect on what this tells us about the wider processes of policy development that may need to change. That is, if we want to accommodate this more ‘democratic’ approach.

Our analysis identified key barriers to co-design and revealed a mismatch between the principles and practices of ‘co-design’ in the initial development of ELM.

Challenges were: 1. A lack of shared decision-making and empowering stakeholders to contribute to problem-definitions. 2. Confidentiality requirements that introduced barriers to information-sharing. 3. Insufficient transparency and feedback on what happened to stakeholder’s contributions in terms of policy development. 4. An absence of detail on the schemes, including proposed approaches, payment rates, advice, baseline measures, the kinds of ‘outcomes’ expected, and monitoring mechanisms. 5. A repetition of themes that participants had already discussed. 

Many of these mismatches may be common to other policy arenas. We argue that improved application of policy co-design in government will rely on wider changes to political processes and the institutional culture and practices within the civil service.

Crisis planning by co-design

Floods and fires are a regular occurrence in Australia. However, they are happening more frequently and with more intensity. While there are standards for building evacuations and fire risk management, these were developed without thought for all citizens. And when people need to evacuate to a communal place of safety, there is no guarantee it will be accessible. Crisis planning requires input from all stakeholders and that includes community members.

Researchers in Sweden ran a workshop with stakeholders on crisis planning. One idea was to have practise events so that community members know where to go and what to do.

Fire fighters dressed in protective gear with oxygen tanks run towards the smoke.

Fire drills are commonplace in office blocks and institutions for both the occupants and emergency service personnel. Perhaps community members need these type of events to familiarise themselves with evacuation procedures and safe places.

Distributing information or brochures to households is not enough. People need to physically go through the process of getting to important places. They also need to check out places like shelters to ensure they are appropriate for their needs. People also need to know how to handle equipment they wouldn’t normally use. Also, information via the written word assumes everyone can read and comprehend the information.

A co-design, participatory process

The workshop generated collaboration in addressing the crisis scenario presented to the participants. The lived experience of people with disability was a good learning experience for disaster management staff. Maintaining a home preparedness kit is challenging for some people when some medicines are restricted. That means you can’t order in advance to keep a ‘spare’ set.

Although staff had worked previously with organisations to produce written materials, they could see that some people fall between the cracks. People who get by reasonably well and not connected to community services could be missed. Although they are managing with day to day activities they may need support in a crisis.

In summary, the co-design methods allowed for more nuanced information to emerge. Evacuation and rescue solutions are context dependent because each locality is different.

The title of the article is, Enhancing Inclusive Crisis Planning: Insights from a Disability-Inclusive Scenario Workshop. It’s open access so you can download the PDF.

Abstract

In response to escalating disasters, inclusive crisis planning is crucial. This study examines a specialised workshop that engaged people with disabilities in crisis planning, focusing on a simulated flood scenario.

Stakeholders from disability organizations and the local municipality collaborated, including eight crisis communicators and thirteen individuals with disabilities. The workshop facilitated knowledge exchange and surfaced disability-specific issues.

While successful in raising awareness, challenges arose in relaying detailed perspectives, emphasizing the need for nuanced communication. Locally relevant scenarios strengthened the workshop’s impact.

The findings stress the importance of early involvement of individuals with disabilities in crisis planning and offer insights for researchers and policymakers. This research contributes to enhancing inclusivity in crisis planning and informs future disaster risk reduction.

Vulnerable citizens in floods and fires

While there are standards for building evacuations and fire risk management, these were developed without thought for vulnerable citizens. And when people need to evacuate to a communal place of safety, there is no guarantee it will be accessible.

Residents of the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales are not new to flood events. But the floods are getting worse. A major flood event occurred previously in 2017 and four researchers decided to explore the experiences of people with disability.

They found people with disability and carers are more likely than others to be affected and displaced. Their needs are more immediate and urgent than most, and their mental health is more likely to be compromised.

Road Closed signs and a barrier of a road that reaches down to a river in flood.

Their findings show the profound impact and systematic neglect experienced by people with disability and their carers. A longer term recovery period is required for people with disability with tailored supports. Consequently, people with disability should be included in flood preparations and recovery efforts.

The title of the article is, Exposure to risk and experiences of river flooding for people with disability and carers in rural Australia: a cross sectional survey. It’s not a very accessible document as the format is in two columns.

Fire safety

The NDIS aims to support people to live independently in a home designed around their disability. This usually means a step free entry and modified bathroom designs. However, little, if any, thought is given to the design of fire safety and safe evacuation in an emergency.

“Fire safety systems must be considered as a total package of risk management, equipment, maintenance, training and fire and evacuation drills. …Where disabled or immobile persons are concerned, the importance of the total package cannot be underestimated.”

house fire photo taken at night time.

Some NDIS participants will need extra support to prepare for and react in an emergency. Hank Van Ravenstein outlines the role of the NDIS in his paper, Fire Safety and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The first part relates the history of the NDIS followed by technical considerations for safety. He argues that the National Construction Code regulations don’t fully address or reflect the needs and risk behaviours of NDIS participants.

If we are to take a universal design approach, if the fire safety regulations aren’t sufficient for people with disability, are they sufficient for everyone?

Bushfire safety

As cities grow and become more compact, some citizens feel the need to “go bush”. This usually means finding a forest haven amongst the trees away from urban living. Then there are those who have always lived in the bush and wouldn’t live anywhere else. But bush living is risky and can be costly in terms of lives and property. It is particularly risky for people with disability and consequently, a different risk assessment process is needed.

Despite fire and rescue authorities encouraging people to prepare for bushfires (and floods), many leave it too late. Some are unable to understand the instructions, or unable to carry them out. A paper by Bennett and Van Ravenstein spells out all the technicalities of fire prevention and control.

A nighttime view of a major bushfire. The bright orange and red glow of the fire is reaching into the tops of the trees.

They argue for a risk assessment approach to existing and proposed buildings for vulnerable persons. The aim of their method is to provide a consistent basis for assessment. The title of their paper is Fire Safety Management of Vulnerable Persons in Bushfire Prone areas.

There is an related paper on vertical evacuation of vulnerable persons in buildings.

Reporting disability issues in the media

Media Diversity Australia has updated their handbook for reporting on disability issues in the media. The 2024 edition is written for both journalists and marketing professionals. 

A key point for journalists and marketing professionals is the scarcity of appropriate stock images of people with disability and older people. For example, at Getty Images, the visuals downloaded by Australian businesses and media in 2020 focused on white people with physical disability. 

This is a well researched document that covers more than the usual topics. It also has specific “how to” guides for interviewing people with different disabilities. The Disability Reporting Handbook is a good companion to the ABC guide to disability content – see below. 

The Handbook covers the usual introductions to disability and golden rules about language and images. Infographics for statistics provide useful information about disability in Australia. The handbook also covers:

      • Intersectionality with disability in relation to women, First Nations people, people from linguistically diverse backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ communities. 
      • Violence and disability, including support services available.
      • How-to guides for interviewing people with disability covering physical, sensory, cognitive, psychosocial and neurodiverse conditions. 
      • Images and audio
      • Marketing and advertising 

 “The biggest barrier to full participation in the community for people with disability is attitude. Most Australian’s with disability experience the soft bigotry of low expectations”. (Graeme Innes, former Disability Discrimination Commissioner)

The  contributors have varied backgrounds in media and journalism. They consulted widely in the development of this comprehensive publication. Media Diversity Australia is a not for profit organisation that believes the media should reflect the cultural diversity of Australia. They have another publication, Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories?  

ABC guide to disability content

ABC journalist Nas Campanella. ABC guide to disability content.
ABC Journalist Nas Campanella

Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, has a guide to disability content. The guide covers appropriate behaviour and language in reporting and portraying disability content. It’s applicable to all ABC platforms including social media. It’s a good guide for all journalism and anyone new to interacting with people with disability.

The title of the guide is, Reporting and Portraying Disability in ABC Content. Arranging and conducting interviews, asking questions, language and terminology are all covered. Many journalists are up to date with their language now, but images are still a problem. And there is still a tendency to place people with disability into a victim or a hero role. 

The information about arranging and conducting interviews includes checking on any assistance or support they might need. Saying someone is inspirational is not appropriate. So check facts and don’t run with assumptions.

Photographers and camera operators need similar information to avoid showing pitying pictures or focusing on assistive equipment. Wheelchairs are not the sum total of people with disability.

Images of disability in journalism

The guide gives the following advice: 

    • Avoid portraying individuals as objects of pity. For example, photograph a person using a wheelchair at their level, not looking down on them. Powerful, positive reinforcing images are generally preferred, depending on the editorial context.
    • Only show the person’s disability if it is critical to the story.
    • Avoid focusing on equipment unless that is the focus of the story. Avoid gratuitous cutaways of wheelchairs, canes, hearing aids and other devices.
    • Avoid having the talent’s carers or family in photos or video unless they are also part of the story. Show the talent as having autonomy over their own lives.
    • Avoid showing the person with disability as isolated from the community unless that is the focus of the story.
    • Avoid using stock images as the majority reinforce stereotypes of disability and are of poor quality.
    • Avoid using images of mobility aids, such as photos of wheelchairs, as a generic image for a story about disability.
    • Do consider using people with disabilities to illustrate stories that are not about disability, to show they are a regular part of the community.
    • Do aim for diversity in imagery of people with disabilities and include people culturally diverse backgrounds and gender diverse people also live with disability
    • Do show people with disabilities doing normal things, such as catching public transport or shopping, but avoid making it ‘inspiration porn’. It’s just life.
    • Do show people with disabilities in positions of power and authority.

Image from ABC News website

 

Legal documents favour visible disabilities

A man's hand is writing the word regulations in large script style writing.Norway has been following the underlying concepts of universal design for 25 years. This means they have a history of policy and activities to reflect upon. Previous papers have highlighted successes and where there is room for improvement. A new Norwegian study looks at universal design through a legislative lens and finds legal documents favour visible disabilities. 

In more recent years, people with invisible disabilities have raised their voices in the disability rights movement. However, their voices are yet to be incorporated into legislative documents. Historically, people with mobility and vision impairments led the way in disability rights. This means their needs were front of mind when legislation was formed. 

The Norwegian researchers wanted to find out if there is a “disability prestige” at play. This is where some disabilities count more than others. Or is it something as basic as just having your disability visible to others? The researchers concluded that visibility was more important to explain discrimination between groups. 

The Norwegian study can be generalised to many other countries. In Australia the Access to Premises Standard also favours people with mobility and vision impairments. 

The Norwegian researchers carried out their study in the context of transport. They discuss the wording of documents and how terms such as “reduced mobility” are interpreted. It can mean a person with a physical and/or a cognitive impairment. However, it is most often linked to movement of the body. 

Prestige versus visibility

In the Norwegian documents mobility impairments are mentioned more frequently than other disabilities. Vision impairments, also frequently mentioned, come in second. The researchers conclude that discrimination between disability types is mostly explained by the visibility of a disability.  

Why does this matter? Because when provision for other disabilities and long term health conditions are not mentioned in legal documents, businesses and services don’t provide them. 

The title is, How laws of universal design discriminate between different types of disabilities – Lessons learned from Norway.

Financial inclusion for all

Looking upwards to the gable of a federation building with the name Bank on it.Financial inclusion should be a top priority for policymakers keen to alleviate poverty. Five of the Sustainable Development Goals feature financial inclusion, including reducing gender based inequalities. Access to financial services is a human right but overlooked for people with disability. 

Financial services include banking, credit, insurance and financial advisors. Each of these should be readily available to everyone. A literature review identified five key barriers:

  1. People with disability have a lower demand for formal financial services than those without disability
  2. Banks do not expect or welcome customers with disability
  3. More appropriate technologies are needed to overcome communication barriers because communication technology (ICT) fails to meet the web content accessibility requirements 
  4. Financial services are not tailored to meet the needs of people with disability 
  5. The formal financial system requires accessible public infrastructure to include people with disability.

What are the solutions?

Multi-stakeholder collaboration to counter stigma and attitudinal barriers is the starting point. Financial education and accessible assistive technology and ICT is essential as well as the physical environment of financial institutions. 

The title of the research article is, Financial inclusion for people with disability: a scoping review. 

From the conclusion

Access to financial services is a human right that seems to have been overlooked for people with disability. The push for financial inclusion of people with disability is a matter of economic strategy as well as a moral imperative rooted in justice and equity.

The financial sector’s landscape, shaped by innovations in ICT, provides an unparalleled opportunity to bridge the financial divide faced by people with disability. However, it will take more than technological advancements to solve the problems.

True financial inclusion necessitates a paradigm shift in attitudes, policies, and strategies. Our findings underscore the urgency to redesign financial systems that are accessible to all and cognisant of the preferences and needs of people with disability.

Addressing the multiple dimensions of financial exclusion of people with disability requires a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, integrating attitudinal change, ICT accessibility, and a commitment to disability justice. There is an emphatic call for banks, policymakers, and society to converge their efforts.

From the abstract

Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries. Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure.

Recommendations include using ICT, digital innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the financial barriers experienced by people with disability. These efforts, rooted in social justice, aim to include people with disability as valued financial sector participants, promoting health and equity.

 

Disability messaging guide

The Commons Social Change Library has a new guide for disability messaging. The guide has tips based on research which shows effective ways of building public support. The document was led by a steering committee of people with disability and messaging experts.

The guide is supported by Disability Action Network Australia (DANA), Centre for Australian Progress and Common Cause Australia. Access via The Commons Social Change Library or download in PDF.

Website banner for the disability messaging guide. Dark blue background with white text surrounded by a narrow yellow border.

Key content

The guide begins with a note about language and why they prefer the term “disabled people”. The introduction covers the messaging principles such as the audience and speaking from the frame of experience. The overarching themes for talking about disability are self-determination and diversity. This is followed by the 7 top tips.

  1. Story structure
  2. Design Frame
  3. Strengths language
  4. Our story, not theirs
  5. Bring NDIS back to values and benefits
  6. Build empathy with human stories
  7. Show change is possible
People on a fun run with two older adults being pushed in wheelchairs.

The guide has good examples to explain concepts and how to change old messages into ones that are more attuned to self determination. One example is to talk about being “led by disabled people” rather than “a seat at the table”. The reasoning is to replace inclusion and tokenism with self determination.

Another example is making passive sentences active. Rather than talk about how disabled people experience discrimination, say who is discriminating. And people like to be presented with solutions rather than problems so focus on these. 

The title is By Us, For Us: Disability Messaging Guide.

Information in an emergency

Getting information in an emergency can mean the different between life and death. Or at least the difference between feeling helpless and knowing what to do. But communication is a complex process and not everyone responds to the same methods. So what is accessible information? It’s information provided in different formats.

Easy Read and Easy English use pictures as well as words. These are good for the 44% of the population with a low level of literacy. Targeting this group means people with higher levels of literacy can also get the message. It’s universal design.

A blackboard with words: learn, language, adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs written in chalk

Other formats are braille and Auslan, and captioning for videos. The Disability Discrimination Act lists places and services that must not discriminate, but there is nothing specific about information methods. This is something that needs to be made clearer in the legislation. However, the Commonwealth and state governments have policies to cover the provision of information.

Accessible emergency and crisis information

Researchers found four things to improve crisis information.

  1. Accessible information providers, such as Easy Read professionals, are not experts in the subject at hand. They need support from experts such as doctors or police.
Black and white logo for easy read, has a tick and a open book

2. Accessible information providers need to stay up to date with changing details. Having one direct source is the best way to manage this.

3. Making high quality accessible information takes time and skill. It’s essential to have the capacity and capability ready to act – don’t wait for the crisis to happen.

4. Agencies need to be upskilled. Sometimes crisis information needs to be available immediately such as an evacuation order. Emergency services need more baseline skills to make this information themselves.

The title of the article from The Conversation is, Crisis communication saves lives – but people with disability often aren’t given the message. The call for action is to have accessible crisis information included in a new Disability Rights Act.

Four men with orange lifejackets are standing in a yellow State Emergency Service boat on a swollen river.

Media organisations, businesses and services need to get on board too. The more people who produce accessible information, the better.

War time crisis communication

A Masters thesis on crisis communication for older people in a war-related scenario uses personas as a means of highlighting the issues. Knowing where the meeting points are at a time of crisis are essential, but how best to communicate these. Information channels need to go beyond the Internet and be easily understood. Planning for a crisis from an older person’s perspective automatically includes all ages.

This thesis explains in detail the process used to suggest changes needed for older people to be accommodated in crisis planning.

A poster with a tank and soldier in the background and an atomic bomb mushroom cloud in the foreground. The text reads, War Bunkers! Swedish Emergency Shelters. How to find your nearest shelter.

The title of the thesis is, Crisis communication for elderly: Designing information channels ensuring elderly access to shelters and meeting points in a war-related scenario. The translation from Swedish is not smooth but the points are clear. Note that the use of the word “elderly” is not preferred in Australia, but translations often default to this.

From the abstract

Crisis preparedness has become a greater focus in Sweden since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022. Therefore, information at a national level is required to ensure safety.. However, there is a risk that older people could have difficulties understanding information provided.

The Internet is often used as an information channel, but not everyone can access this. This study investigated different crisis communication channels in Sweden and how they can be tailored for older people. Shelters and meeting points also need to be designed to include older people.

Observations of shelters in Gothenburg and interviews with municipalities were carried out. To guide authorities for future development of crisis information a combination of guidelines,
personas and concept proposals are suggested. The concepts proposed are a physical shelter map that can be printed directly from the shelter map MSB (Swedish civil contingency agency).

Proposed concepts for meeting points are a brochure with information about the
meeting points that each municipality will offer their citizens. Proposed solution for prioritising the elderly at a meeting point is also suggested with a queuing system and an “area for elderly”.

To understand the concepts and feelings involved, storytelling for both proposals was developed explaining the user journey. This project can be used for further exploration of concepts proposals and development of crisis communication channels and planning for meeting points.

Emergency awareness and universal design

A smartphone with a map and wording of Fires Near Me. It is the app of the NSW Rural Fire Service. It helps with emergency awareness.

Why do some people appear unable to take in what is happening around them in an emergency? Being able to act quickly requires a good sense of the situation. However, not everyone has a sense of emergency awareness. Consequently they find decision-making difficult and fail to act appropriately. A Norwegian study has investigated a universal design approach to mitigate this lack of awareness.

In an emergency, sight, hearing, use of hands and ability to concentrate can all be impaired. Smoke, dust, cold, noise and paralysis from fear can affect anyone’s ability to think clearly. Smart phone apps are a good way of reaching people quickly with important information, but do they account for likely cognitive and physical changes?

The issues and solutions for “situational disability” are outlined in a technical paper from Norway. It raises our awareness that individuals are likely to behave in unexpected ways during a disaster. With an increased rate of climate-based disasters, and the move to digital information systems, this is a timely study. The underlying concern of how people respond is an important one. The paper shows that universal design principles can guide the way in compensating for a lack of emergency awareness.

The full title of the article is, Towards Situational Disability-aware Universally Designed Information Support Systems for Enhanced Situational Awareness.

Emergency Design: Designing as you go

A woman is sitting on the ground and is being helped by a person in protective clothing and a hi vis vest. The woman looks distressed.

Designing FOR an emergency IN an emergency requires a different design approach to existing tried and true methods. When urgency is the driver of design, processes and methods need a re-think. COVID-19 is a clear case of designing for an emergency during the emergency. So how can “designing-as-you-go” be done?

Designs for emergencies, such as wars or an earthquake, are usually devised before the event. Or they are designed after the event in preparation for future events. The COVID pandemic arrived without notice and few countries were prepared. Hence the need to design for the emergency while it is happening.

A different approach

A case study from Brazil shows how a totally different design approach was required. Rather than using standard methods the researchers took an organic approach to the problem. It was basically designing on the run. The process encouraged the inclusion of people who are often marginalised. While history tells us that Brazil is has not fared well during the pandemic, the study still has value for future situations.

Their approach is based on qualitative techniques. They relied on the knowledge of local people and processes of working together in a horizontal rather than hierarchical format. This approach also allowed participants to see how they could deal with the current situation as well as improvements for the longer term. 

“As a path, we point out the importance of identifying areas of convergence of interests, the creation of win-win policies and the daily encouragement of a culture of collaboration at the differing levels.”

The title of the paper is Design amid Emergency. It charts what they did, how they did it and what they learned from the process. Identifying areas of common interest and developing win-win policies to encourage a culture of collaboration was key. In summary, they found the co-creation design process the key to success. It can lead to improved quality of life in both the short and longer term. It also helps to embed resilience within the population. 

The government saw the value of co-design with citizens. It remains to be seen if they actually follow through on this networking approach to solving issues.

From the abstract

This article presents the process for the “Design of services under the COVID19 emergency social protection plan”. It was drawn up by a team of researchers and designers from Porto Alegre in collaboration with the Porto Alegre City Government.  The focus was on the provision of essential benefits to homeless and other vulnerable people during the pandemic.

The process was developed for the designers involved: without prior notice, within very short time frames and completely remotely, using only digital platforms. As such, the process was developed to respond to the emergency and amid the emergency. The objective of the article is to discuss how to design amid emergency.

The experience was guided by the methodological principles of action research and research through design. In addition to presenting the design results solutions aimed at the short, medium and long term. This article highlights the need to aim for the recognition of difference, the suggestion of alternative views, social innovation, the systemic transformation of society and sustainability.