Communicating to everyone

• Do you have clear, concise signage? Do you have telephone/fax/internet facilities at a lower height for wheelchair users to use?
• Are all church communications available in a way that a disabled person can access, whether it be large print, audio, or Braille? 
• Keep communications simple.
• Don't switch the lights out without warning - deaf people won't know what is happening.
• Have you thought of using e-mail for people who cannot read ordinary print but can use computers? - you could send documents in advance of meetings, words for new songs, notice sheets.
• Do you know how good the interpreting skills are of the hearing people who use British Sign Language in your church? Have you checked their qualifications and experience? More importantly, have you checked what the deaf people are receiving and understanding?
• Are there people in the church, apart from the interpreters, who can communicate with deaf or deafblind people - so that people can enjoy social contact together?
• Are there people who would be willing to take notes - written or on a laptop - so that a severely hard of hearing or deafened person could follow the service?
• Are all your printed communications in 12-point or larger sans-serif typestyles in dark ink on light paper?
• Do you have at least 10% of all leaflets, service sheets, etc. in large (giant) print (18-point in black on lemon-yellow paper)?