International Day of Persons With Disabilities

Sunday, 3rd December, is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Established in 1992, this day aims to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities in all areas of society. In this blog, quality and evaluation lead Abi tells you more about our accessible information. 

The United Nations tells us that: 'People with disabilities generally have poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives'.

Information in different formats
Our range of formats helps us support people with different needs:

• Easy read – We have 54 easy read booklets which use simple language and pictures. They are helpful for anyone who finds reading harder.
• Audio – We have over 50 audiobooks and mp3 files for people who prefer to listen to information.
• Videos – There are videos and animations throughout our website that explain cancer and its treatment, as well as stories from people living with cancer,
• BSL content – We produce cancer information in British Sign Language and can help you to use the Macmillan Support Line.
• 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.

At Macmillan, we strive to reach everyone affected by cancer. This includes people with a range of disabilities and a range of different needs.

We believe everyone deserves access to information to help them understand their condition and make decisions about their lives. And we produce our award-winning information in various formats to provide this support.

Watch videos of people with cancer and disabilities
We have videos of people with different disabilities talking about their experiences of cancer:

• Amanda, who has a learning disability (private link)
• Gwen, who is deaf
• David, who is blind

Helping you access information on our website
Our website is optimized for screen readers. 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 – you can use your voice to talk to your computer. You can open programmes and do other tasks using your voice. Your computer comes with voice recognition programmes.

You can find out more about these options here.

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 cannot access our information due to your disability, please do let us know. You can contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk, and we'll do what we can to meet your needs.

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.

Comments? Feel free to add them below (you need to be logged in).