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Now, it's more important than ever that everyone can read your information

In the current Coronavirus situation, getting regular, updated healthcare information is vital.

Not only from the Government but from local authorities, healthcare providers and businesses, as well.

But what about people who are blind or partially sighted - just how accessible is this information to them?

Sight loss charity RNIB is urging everyone to communicate to the public to ensure print and electronic communications are clearly readable, or that alternative versions - such as audio, braille and large-print - are available as well.

James Adams, director of RNIB Scotland, said: "Right now, clear communication is essential. Even people who don't consider themselves sight-impaired can sometimes struggle with very small print, or with text that doesn't have a sharp enough contrast with the background colour.

"That's why it's absolutely vital that we give full consideration to how accessible our communications are. We've produced guides for the Scottish and UK Governments to help them make sure everything they put out is accessible."

For blind and partially sighted people who use screen-reading software, which reads out text from websites or email attachments, this might not seem a problem. But some graphics can still confuse screen-readers, such as text superimposed on images, photos that don't have alt-tags, text that is justified on both sides, or even just sentences that don't end with a full stop.

Mr Adams said: "It is vitally important everyone knows how to keep themselves and the community safe, and that blind and partially sighted people know about any extra services that may be available to them.

"We’ll carry on supporting the NHS, Government, and businesses to make sure the information they share about public health advice is accessible throughout this difficult time."

The RNIB Helpline is available on 0303 123 9999.