9.2 How to say it with pictures

Effective communication with sighted people involves visual imagery. Colours, layout and design all matter. So do pictures.

A picture (or diagram or chart, or any other visual device) should not be the only source of a piece of information, though. If you use any of these, it should illustrate something you are also saying in words.

‘See It Right’, published by the UK Royal National Institute for the Blind, tells you how to handle pictures and other visual devices in other publications and on websites.

The IT Accessibility Guidelines produced by the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design explain how to handle visual items in your electronic communications. The guidelines are available to download through the NDA website.

Photos illustrating public use of your services should be inclusive: that is, they should show a range of different types of people, from a diversity of backgrounds, including people with disabilities. Demonstrating inclusiveness through images helps public libraries to show that they really are for everyone.

Sometimes people with disabilities are left out of the picture because of concerns about how best to represent them.

Positive representation of people with disabilities:

• is ‘a fair, creative and stimulating portrayal’, according to the UK’s Office for Disability (ODI)
   
• shows people with disabilities in a range of roles
   
• shows non-disabled people and people with disabilities interacting on equal terms.

The same principles apply to the representation of other groups, such as people from ethnic minorities.

Try not to limit disability-related subjects to images of wheelchair users, who make up a very small proportion of people with disabilities. Showing the images you intend to use to your consultation group will help you to make appropriate decisions.

It is no longer acceptable to use non-disabled actors and models to represent people with disabilities.

To get ideas, visit http://www.smugmug.com/ for over a thousand positive images of people with disabilities in a wide range of situations.