“Making disability information accessible to individuals from Black & Minority Ethnic groups”
A review of current findings and thinking
June 2008
SID (Social Information on Disability)
as part of an
EHRC (Equality & Human Rights Commission)
funded project
APPENDIX 1 Background to the project
Providing information to disabled
people in the BME community
Meeting at WIDE 26th September 2006
Hazel Plastow & Karen Lucey – SID (Social Information on Disability)
Norida Mohammed – WIDE, Woking
Rachel Nkama – Terrence Higgins Trust, Woking
Background information on demographics
The information on the BME population in Surrey on which discussions were based is drawn from the 2001 census, so we recognise that may not be up to date. In particular the number of people from Eastern Europe is not reflected in these figures. However it does provide us with a basis on which to work.
The ethnic population in Surrey has increased by 45% since the 1991 Census, with the 2001 census indicating that more than 5% of the population in Surrey, over 53,000 people, belonged to minority ethnic groups.
From national data it is estimated that the number of disabled people is likely to be 1 in 6 of the total population. In Surrey this means a disabled population of approximately 177,000. The number of people on Surrey’s disability registers has increased over the last two years, but do not as yet provide a definitive number.
We therefore estimate the number of disabled people from the BME community in Surrey to be approximately 8,800.
Carers, friends and other family members are also likely to need information on disability issues and services, and may double this number.
Barriers
- Income – in addition to financial difficulties (high costs and limited income) faced by many disabled people, families from the BME community may be sending money back to their home country to support other family members.
- Language barriers and preference for information by word of mouth - English may be someone’s third language where perhaps members from within one family come from different areas or tribes, so that the family is already dealing with two languages. Africans in particular often prefer to receive information by word of mouth and are likely not to turn to written information even if it is in their own language.
- Transport is a problem for many disabled people in Surrey (26% of people in Surrey live in rural areas). Low income and lack of information is likely to compound this for people from the BME community. Isolation of people in rural areas is likely to be compounded by the fact that Surrey has a predominantly white population.
- Unfamiliarity and lack of understanding of help available from charities. This leads to a lack of trust in the system. Free services may therefore need to be explained.
- Reluctance to look for help outside the family. Families may have a feeling of failure if outsiders are involved in family matters. However in this country people may be separated from their extended families, and family members who are around have busy lifestyles and may not be on hand to help disabled members.
- Cultural differences may mean that individuals need information about how to get services tailored to meet their specific needs or preferences (eg hospital or delivery meal services)
Ways of presenting information
- Could use more visual materials – photos on posters etc
- Give the right message – look at language and graphics
- Organise a workshop to develop appropriate presentation of information
Ways of getting information to BME groups
- Where possible by word of mouth and via individual contacts
- Consider alternative places to promote services like shopping centres and churches.
- Identify workers who work with ethnic groups and brief them so they can go out and tell others about it. Some Carers Support Services have a BME worker and volunteers can act as ambassadors and go into communities and spread the word.
- Wherever possible have a presence at events which may act as community gatherings
The way forward - Actions Agreed
At the end of the meeting it was agreed that providing information to disabled people from the BME community was an important area of work, which needed to be addressed in a specific way if it was to meet the needs of this section of Surrey’s population.
- We agreed to keep in contact with each other and share information. We will all seek out others who may have a particular interest in this area of work, with a view to inviting them to a follow-up meeting or to become involved in any project work that may develop from our discussions.
- It is hoped that Norida and Rachel will be able to attend the next Information Exchange Network meeting. At a future date we could arrange speaker on this topic to make a presentation and lead discussion amongst the Network members to help raise awareness of the key issues.
- SID will explore what pieces of work have been undertaken in the area of providing information to disabled people from the BME community, to see if these could be used in Surrey.
- The idea of a workshop to develop a poster or other material aimed at this community may be the best way forward, but would need funding for a facilitator, venue, travel expenses, materials and printing etc – SID will explore the funding options to develop this, Norida and Rachel said they would be happy to offer their support in developing a funding bid.
NB Paper from Carers UK
More than a Job – Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census (in PDF format)
Authors: Lisa Buckner & Sue Yeandle, University of Leeds, 2006
‘Young Bangladeshi and Pakistani men and women are three times more likely than other younger people to combine paid work and caring.’
‘A high proportion of young Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and women combine paid work and unpaid care.’
‘One in eight young Pakistani and Bangladeshi men (aged 16-29) who are in employment also provide unpaid care (compared with just one in twenty five young Whit British men ).’
‘One in seven young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who have a paid job are also carers (compared with just one in twenty young White British women).’
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