All individuals and communities in Scotland have the right to access and understand full, accurate and timely information, in a manner appropriate to their needs in order to be included in, to benefit on an equal basis from, all the opportunities and services offered in their local communities.

To enable this to happen, public authorities in Scotland should develop a strategic and coherent approach whereby they would:

a. make a commitment - to the provision of accessible information and appropriate communication support, which should emphasise the right of choice (which at the moment for certain groups is significantly reduced due to the limited range of information and communication available);

b. know their communities - carry out community profiling and identifying minority ethnic and other groups by culture, religion, age, gender, language usage and literacy rates;

c. ascertain information needs - and communication needs in relation to individual services;

d. ensure access to interpreting, translation and communication support - for disabled people and people for whom English is not a suitable language of communication (people who may be d/Deaf and/or Blind and may require BSL or Braille, Lip Speakers, Note Takers etc.);

e. make sure communities are aware of their rights and entitlements - by outlining arrangements for the provision of communication support facilities and how to access them and promoting these both within the public authorities and among the communities of interest;

f. allocate resources - by identifying appropriate funding sources; and

g. consult regularly with service users to ensure that the communication support facilities are meeting their needs.

Key Components of Good Communication Practice for All Public Authorities is available for download in the Publications section.