Resources : Communication

East Durham Homes Equality & Diversity Guides

East Durham Homes have produced three gudies for staff, tenants and residents wanting more information on how to be inclusive and fair in their approach to services.The guides vary from a quick reference card to a detailed description of the six strands: race,age, disability, religion, gender and sexuality. The Business Card can be easily carreid by staff to gve them useful tips and advice on how to handle situations with customers more sensitively. For example advice on racial harrassment or domestic violence, using translation services, or a loop system. The Quick Reference Guide provides some practical information and general advice. It highlights some of the issues that may arise when visiting customers in their homes, arranging meetings, or organising events. The guide has a number of sections. Each section gives some helpful hints in the form of do’s and don’ts.
The Full Diversity Guide recognises that staff need information to help them deliver services sensitively and appropriately. Housing organisations are committed to improving services, making sure they are fair and easily accessible to all thier customers. When doing this, they want to treat people with respect, and, where possible, tailor services to meet individual needs. The purpose of this guide is to help staff do this. 

Talking Signs

Twin Valley Homes ‘Talksign’ is the new and innovative way that Twin Valley Homes is providing information to customers by giving key service information in a choice of local community languages. Customers can choose any 1 of 3 languages - English, Urdu or Gujerati and then touch one of eight information buttons. The sign then plays an audio message giving advice on a services subject in the customer’s preferred language. In addition, customers can now tell Twin Valley Homes their views about staff service by touching one of three different facial expressions, good, bad, or indifferent on a sign to represent their feelings. Information from the ‘Talkback’ sign will help Twin Valley Homes to monitor, improve and maintain customer satisfaction.

A Guide to Disability Language & Etiquette
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Language and behaviour are central to providing equitable and appropriate services to all. Inappropriate remarks or behaviour are often the result of ignorance or fear. This guide to disability language has been produced by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as a result of consultation and joint working with disabled people, disability organisations and groups and the local voluntary sector. As well as being a useful document in itself, the guide could be used to develop training for staff or tenants.

Sample Event Flier
Sadeh Lok Housing Group

This flier for an educational open day provides a good example of targeted marketing material. As well as translating the text, the flier itself has been designed in a format that may have a particular resonance with the Asian communities Sadeh Lok wanted to attract to the event. The English language version was presented in the same layout.

Download Event Flier - Urdu (PDF, 1050kB) (PDF, )
Download Event Flier - English (PDF, 1301kB) (PDF, )