Spotlight session 2 Kate Bushen and Karen Wilshaw, Citizens Advice Sheffield Deaf Advice Team (BSL)
What Inclusive Service Provision looks like - service provider’s perspective
Kate and Karen presented on the background to the Deaf Advice Service and what is offered as part of that service provision, which is funded by Northern Gas Networks and Northern Powergrid. They explained that all advisors use British Sign Language (BSL) and there is no need for an interpreter. They can help with things like helping to claim the right benefits, helping with debt and understanding energy bills, as well as sorting other problems a deaf person has such as housing, employment and much more.
After the spotlight presentations and having had an opportunity to consider what they had heard, stakeholders were asked to respond to two questions on Slido.
Questions and answers as detailed below:
1. Which groups/households may we need to specifically consider, to ensure inclusivity?
46 participants / 23 responses – in priority order
- Rural communities
- Disabled customers
- Digitally excluded
- Low literacy
- Carers
- Homelessness
- NRPF - No Recourse to Public Funds
- Families experiencing instability
- Income related vulnerability
- Migration
2. Thinking about those marginalised communities, what might be some of the main barriers faced?
24 participants / 56 responses – in priority order
- Language
- Engaging with services
- Digital exclusion
- Trust
- Isolation
- Engaging with services
- Access to support
- Neurodivergent
- No IT skills
- No communication skills
- Low income
- Understanding the information
- Worried about utility companies
- Stigma
- Inflexible
- Trust
- Financial
- Worried about people contacting them / scams
- Culture
- Smart energy offers
- Physical barriers / stairs
- Working and companies only being open 9-5
- Being so busy
