Webwatch – Better Info, Better Lives

In order to effectively implement the Self-Directed Support Strategy for Scotland, it is imperative that information on services and supports is readily available to those that need it.

What the strategy envisages is individuals and families having “informed choice about the way support is provided to them” (Scottish Government, 2010) – being able to take more control over their lives and to have choices over the type of care and support they receive.

Better Info, Better Lives, an initiative of NHS Education for Scotland and the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability, is an accessible social care information resource for people with learning disabilities. The site provides information on a range of key topics, including education; employment; family and relationships; health; housing; law and rights; leisure; money; personalisation; self-directed support, transitions; and transport and travel.

When you click on any of the listed topics, information is provided in two standard forms – documents and resources, and web links. The documents and resources folder of each section contains audio, video, and library resources in easy-to-read plain English; and the web links section provides a list of websites that contain useful information on that particular topic. All of the resources can be borrowed from the SCLD library, which is free to join.

The site is designed to be accessible to those with learning disabilities, providing various text sizes, as well as contrast options, to change background colour to black and the text to white, to help those who have a visual impairment. A guide to using the website is also available on the homepage, which provides a step-by-step guide to navigating the site and how to search for information using the search box.

Visit the Better Info, Better Lives website: http://www.betterinfo.org.uk/