Disability and cancer information

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This day has been observed every year since 1992 to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. In today's blog, quality and evaluation officer Rachael writes about disability and cancer, and how accessible information can make a big difference. 

What is a disability?
In the UK, the definition of a disabled person is ‘someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. This adds up to 11 million people in the UK – 1 in 5 of the population.

Disability and cancer
At Macmillan Cancer Support we believe that everyone with cancer should have the help and support they need to live life as fully as they can. This includes people living with a disability as well as cancer.

People with a disability can be disabled as much by social attitudes and practical barriers as by their impairment.

Gwen, who is deaf, explains the problems she faced getting her cancer diagnosis due to a lack of support for communication in this video:

Accessible information can make a difference
We produce information about cancer in formats that are accessible to people with different needs, including:

• easy read – these use simple language and pictures and are helpful for anyone who finds reading harder
• audio – we have audiobooks and mp3 files for people who prefer to listen to information
• video – our website has videos and animations that explain cancer and its treatment, as well as stories from people living with cancer
• BSL video – we have British Sign Language videos which include signers and subtitles
• eBooks and Interactive PDFs – you can download an eBook or PDF so you can read or listen to our information on your smartphone, tablet, eBook reader or computer
• braille and large print – you can contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk to request information in these formats.

John, who has a learning disability, has told us how easy read information and the support of his Macmillan nurse helped him cope with cancer. You can read John’s story here.

Our website is optimised for screen readers. David, who is blind, talks about how he uses a screen reader to find information about cancer in this video:

And there are also other ways you can make our website easier to use. For example you can:

• Use the keyboard to move around – use the ‘Tab’ button on the keyboard, and use 'Enter' to click on links and buttons.
• Make things bigger by using the zoom and magnifier – to use the zoom, press ‘Ctrl’ and ‘+’or ’-’ on the keyboard. This lets you look at small areas of the screen in a much bigger size.
• Change the colours and fonts – changing the colour can increase or decrease the contrast, or invert the colours. You can also make the font size of web pages bigger.
• Use your voice – if your computer comes with voice recognition programmes, you can use your voice to talk to your computer. You can open programmes and do other tasks using your voice.

Can we do more to help you?
Although we are trying to make our information available to all, we know that we may not be reaching everyone. If you or someone you support cannot access our information, contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk and we’ll do what we can to meet your needs.

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To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.

We're with you every step of the way

The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.

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