How people with learning disabilities use TV, telephones, mobiles and the internet.

EasyRead version of the report: “People with learning disabilities and communications services.”

Shop.

Page

What is this report about? 1

Where did we find people to 5take part in the research?

What are the main things 7we found out?

-TV 9

-Phones and mobiles 15

-Internet 26

-Bills and dealing with suppliers 32

Useful contacts and information 37

What is in this report

£

Shop.

1

What is this report about?

This report is about how people withlearning disabilities use TV, home or workphones, mobiles and the Internet.

We wanted to find out what peoplethought about owning these services, howthey use them and how they chose andpaid for them.

We also wanted to know what problemsthey had when they used them and whatpeople with learning disabilities foundharder to do.

Who are we?

We are Ofcom, the Office ofCommunications. We make sure TV,telephone, mobile and internet companiesare obeying the rules and running a goodservice.

?

2

Why did we do it?

The law says that we must understand ifsome people are being treated unfairly.

In June 2008 we asked a company calledIpsos MORI to talk to people with learningdisabilities for us.

We wanted to understand if there are anyproblems that we can help with.

Who did we talk with?

36 people with learning disabilities tookpart in the research. They lived all over thecountry.

3

We talked to all sorts of people:

· some could read and write, somecould not

· some took care of their own money,some did not

· some lived on their own, others livedwith other people

· some were men and some werewomen

· some were younger people and somewere older people.

4

Many people we talked with also had aphysical disability, like not being able tosee or hear well, or using a wheelchair.

Many people told us they had problemsreading, writing and counting. This made ahuge difference to the way they used theTV, the telephone or the internet.

5

Where did we find people totake part in the research?

We found people to talk with through:

· voluntary and community groups

· charities

· local disability support groups

· groups for linking up with others(networking).

We also looked for people with learningdisabilities when walking around in thestreets or going to the supermarket.

6

How did people take part in theresearch?

We thought the best way to find things outwas to talk to people face-to-face.

Most people took part on their own. Somepeople took part with a friend. They foundit good to talk to each other about whatthey felt when watching TV, using thephone or the internet.

People could have their carer, parent orsupport worker with them if they wanted.

We also filmed some people while theywere using TV, phones, mobiles and theinternet.

We filmed them at home, when they wentout, at a day centre and with their supportworkers.

We thought it would be good to see howpeople actually used these services everyday and in different places.

7

What are the main things wefound out?

People didn’t use TV, phones, mobiles andthe internet as much as they could formany reasons.

One of the main problems was that someof these things are not easy to use forpeople with learning disabilities.

For example, using a keyboard on acomputer or using the buttons on amobile phone.

People told us they did not know howthese things could help them in their everyday life.

Even though using these things wasdifficult, most of the people we talked withfound ways to get past the problems.

?

Shop.

Shop.

Shop.

8

Most people thought that problems usingTV, mobiles and the internet were just partof life.

A lot of people we spoke to were used togetting support from others to help themuse these things. For example, carers,family and support workers.

It did not seem to matter how serioussomeone’s learning disability was when itcame to using these things.

What did matter was whether they couldget support to use them, how old theywere and how much money they had.

Shop.

9

TV

Everyone used TV the most. They found iteasy to use and watch.

Many people had grown up with TV andthought of it as part of life.

Nobody had problems turning the TV onand off.

A few people found it difficult to use TVwith all the additional channels when theyfirst got the service. They said they neededtime to get used to the new system.

Most people said they could use theremote control, but many were only usinga few buttons.

A few people had problems with theremote control.

?

10

For some people who had problems withthe remote control, this was because theyhad other disabilities, not their learningdisability.

For example, because they had cerebralpalsy or arthritis. They said that a biggerremote control would be easier to use.

For many people, flicking through thechannels was the only way to find outwhat shows were on because they found ithard to read the TV guide.

A woman with mild learning disabilities said:

“There's all different colouredbuttons on the one I've got and there's numbers

as well so I found it really difficult to understand whichis what button and the channels. I had trouble with thenumbers switching them over, that's all, switching the

numbers over, I didn't know which waswhich, but I know which

is which now.”

11

Some people knew what TV channels theywere watching from the channel logos onthe screen.

Some just remembered what the numbersfor the channels were on the remote. Butwhen the channel numbers changed thiswas a problem for them. They had to findout what the new numbers were andremember them all over again.

Most people could not read the words onthe TV screen. They had to ask someone toread them out for them.

For some people this was because theyhad problems with their eyesight and nottheir learning disability.

Many people are used to asking people forhelp if they have problems with their TV.Even if this means waiting until someonecame home who could help.

ITV1

12

A woman with mild learning disabilitiessaid,

These problems did not stop people fromwatching TV but it did mean thatsometimes they missed a programmethey wanted to watch.

TV was very important to people whospent most of their time at home.

Because they did not go out much andcould not read well, TV lets them see whatis going on in the world.

“I'd ask my daughter … I wouldn'tmess with it… well you don't know what you're

doing, do you, when you're messing with it,do you? Because you could mess it up and you

could have no picture or nothing and I'dask my daughter, to make sure.”

13

A lot of people had videos and DVDs whichthey liked to watch a lot.

Like most people in the United Kingdom,people’s favourite TV shows were soaps,sport and music.

The shows people liked were: Charmed,Crimewatch, Question Time, X Factor,Poirot, Sky Sports News, Heartbeat andTwo Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

They said that they liked them because:

· they liked the people, like the Mitchellbrothers in EastEnders

· they liked the plot, like in Poirot

· they thought the shows were funny.

14

A few people liked documentaries becauseit showed them about different countries,cultures and places.

Most people did not like watching thenews.

Some people found it upsetting. Mostpeople found the news boring.

Many people told us they did not like tosee images of violence or nudity on TV. Ifthey found something upsetting they justchanged the channel.

Most felt they understood what theywatched.

15

Phones and mobiles

Some people had a landline phone in theirhouse. The people that did not, hadmobiles instead.

Some people had both a landline phone athome and a mobile.

Mobiles were very important for keeping intouch with friends, family, support workersand work.

This was most important for people wholived away from their family.

People who did not have mobiles said theydid not need one.

Will be homefrom work at4pm -Bill

Shop.

16

We found out that it was also because:

· they lived in a place that didn’t getmobile signals

· they thought it was too expensive

· they had difficulty with speaking

· they could not use a mobile becausethey could not read

· they had a problem with their hands.

?

17

Shop.

When it comes to what people withlearning disabilities used their phones forthey were no different to everyone else.But it was harder for them to do somethings.

A lot of people found mobiles harder touse than landline phones.

They thought that mobiles came with toomany other uses which they didn’t need.

A lot of people found the buttons onmobiles too small. People who had troubleseeing or using their hands found this veryhard.

People who could not read very well foundit hard to use mobiles because there arelots of words on the screens.

Shop.

18

Some families and carers told us thatmobiles with more pictures would bebetter.

Younger people liked using mobiles morethan landline phones.

This is because they had to share alandline phone at home but they didn’thave to share their mobiles.

They liked having a phone all tothemselves and they could talk in private.

Younger people also used their mobiles toplay games, listen to music and takepictures.

Shop.

19

Older people usually found landlinephones easier to use.

How much it cost did not make adifference to whether people would usetheir mobile or their home phone.

A lot of people thought mobile numberswere more expensive to call. But mostpeople did not know how much calls costand did not know how to tell if a numberwas a mobile or a landline number.

How easy it was to use the phone wasmore important when deciding whichphone to use.

Not many people used their contacts listin the mobile. Mostly because they wouldnot be able to read people’s names, orbecause they did not know about it.

ContactsJohn06655 444 666

Mary04455 132 465

Will03241 987 654

Shop.

Shop.

20

Shop.

People remembered the numbers theyused the most in their head. If theyneeded a number they did not know, theywould ask someone to look for it.

Some people saved the numbers in theirmobile but asked someone to help themfind the number they needed.

Not many people used voicemail becausethey found the instructions confusing.

A lot of people got their mobile as abirthday or Christmas present from theirfamily.

The person who received the mobile as apresent usually chose their own handset.

Work09876...

You have 8new messages

Shop.

21

The person giving the phone chose thenetwork, and the type of service (contractor pay as you go). Very often, the sameperson paid for the calls as well.

Like most people in the United Kingdom,people liked to change their mobiles, forexample, to get a nicer or a better one.

A lot of mobiles may look the same but aredifferent in the way you use them. Thismeans people had to learn to use to anew phone when they changed theirmobile.

But this did not stop them from getting anew phone.

Most people used their mobiles for calls.Not many used it to text.

Shop.

22

People did not use texting much becausemany could not read or write well.

But this did not stop them from textingcompletely.

One person who had problemsremembering things told us that hetexted by breaking the text up into smallpieces and saving his message in drafts.He could get them back if he forgot whathe was replying to.

Others told us they asked their family,sometimes their children, to read outtheir text messages and reply for them.

All this may seem like a problem, butpeople with learning disabilities told usthey are used to doing things this way.

?Shop.

23

They got around the problems well.Younger people did not care about theproblems. For many of them a mobilewas cool.

Whether it was easy or difficult to usewas not something they thought wasimportant.

Some people could not use a mobile butthey did not mind very much. Since theyhad never used one they did not see howit would help them and were happy notto have one.

Some people did not know what theycould do on their phones.

Shop.

24

They just didn’t know about the thingsthat could make using a mobile or alandline telephone easier.

For example, people who had problemsdialling did not know about speed dial.Speed dial stores a number into a buttonon the phone. You just press that buttonand the phone dials the number for you.

Many people said they were annoyed withnuisance calls and telephone sales people.

But only one person knew about theTelephone Preference Service. This servicestops people who want to sell you thingsfrom dialling your number.

Everybody needed someone to tell themabout these things.

£

?

Shop.

25

Shop.

A man with severe learning disabilities inEngland said,

People did not use the guides that comewith their phones. They found them toodifficult to use and usually just askedsomeone if they needed help.

This may be why most people did notknow very much about what their phonescould do.

People who lost their phone never toldtheir supplier, they just bought a new one.

“My daughter justbought a phone and when you get atext you press a button and it talks to

you…I haven’t got one yet…I’ll probablyend up with her one.”

Hiya Dad.Just going 2 shop.

Dad.

Shop.

26

Internet

People didn’t use the internet as much asthey used TV, landline phones and mobiles.

A lot of people couldn’t afford to have acomputer and an internet connection. Itwas cheaper to have a mobile or free TVwith lots of channels.

Many people found the internet difficult touse and didn’t know enough about it.

Many people found watching TV mucheasier.

Most people who used the internet wereyounger.

27

People used it mostly to:

· keep up to date with their favouriteband, celebrity, TV show or footballteam

· watching video clips (for exampleYouTube)

· look up pictures of their favouritecelebrities and animals.

Not many people used it for work or study.

People used the internet at home, incollege, at the library, in an internet caféor at a day centre.

People who could read or write betterused the internet more. One person toldus he wanted to do a course to makeinternet pages, and some people saidthey helped their parents use it.

28

Some people who used the internetneeded support. For example, turning thecomputer on and off. Some told us theyasked their carers, family or supportworkers to spell out words to help themuse the internet.

Some people could only use the internet ifsomeone used it with them and explainedanything they did not understand.

Many parents thought the internet wasdangerous. They were usually parents whodid not use the internet.

They worried that their children may betricked or hurt. They did not see how theinternet could be any use at all.

Some people used it once a week, someevery other week and a few used it everyday.

29

Those who used it every day used it to:

· look up tickets for the theatre

· check flights and holidays

· get music (for example iTunes)

· e-mail and messaging (for exampleMSN®) friends and family

· meet people on friendship sites (butnot meet them in person) like MySpace,Bebo and hi5.

30

Very few people had an e-mail addressand used it. This is because they hadproblems reading and writing. Those whohad an e-mail address often asked otherpeople to check them.

They had an e-mail address because theyneeded it to use some websites.

They did not use their email address tokeep in touch with friends.

Most people did not know that you canuse the internet for lots of helpful thingslike banking, shopping, booking tickets orfinding information.

We think this may be why the people whodidn’t use the internet did not think theywere missing out.

?

31

Most people thought the internet was justfor fun. They didn’t think of it assomething they can use to find things out.

Most people did not know that theinternet could help with their disability.

For instance, people who had problemswith their eyesight or who had problemsreading did not know about screenreaders. This is a computer programmethat reads out the words.

Many said they did not know what theycould do on the internet because nobodyhad shown them.

People found it hard to say what couldmake it easier for them to use theinternet.

They did not see how the internet couldmake their lives better so were happy notto have it.

In othernews...

32

Bills and dealing with suppliers

Checking bills and dealing with supplierswas usually done by friends, family orsupport workers. Suppliers are thebusinesses that run TV, telephone, mobileand internet services.

Most people who had to read bills found ithard to understand them.

People who lived in shared houses wouldnot often check to see if their share of thebill was right.

Some never looked at bills, becausesomeone else took charge of them.

Most people did not know how muchmoney they needed to keep aside for theirlandline phone bill because the billschanged from one to the next.

£?

£££

33

Television bills where you pay foradditional channels were easier becausethey were the same every month.

When a supplier needed to be called,someone else usually did it. We think thatcarers, family and support workers helpkeep people safe by dealing with suppliersand checking their bills.

Not many of the people we spoke withever called their suppliers. Most peoplewho had called their supplier were happywith the service they got.

A man with severe learning disabilities inLondon said,

“On the mobile networkthe one good thing there was that I

was registered as disabled, so as soon as Irang it went through to …somebody. It didn’t go

through, press this number, press that number… it putme straight in contact with a person to talk to. And I

was, it come up on their computer screen that they washandling someone with a disability… they asked if it

was OK to record this information on theirsystem and I said, yeah of course it is.”

£ £

34

Most people liked to pay with cash andover the counter.

They paid at post offices and local shops.

They felt that it was safer because theycould get a receipt or a stamp on their bill.

They would not get this if they paid overthe phone or on the internet.

Many people told us they had problemslooking after their money. Some did nothave a bank account.

A man with severe learning disabilities inEngland said,

£

“My girlfriend has control ofthe finance because it’s not done with pound

notes like my Dad’s day. It’s done with credit cardsand all that, and writing and filling out forms.”

35

For them, how easy it is to pay for aservice was more important than howmuch it costs.

Because of this, many people told us theyliked to pay for their services up front, likePay As You Go.

They did not like having bills at the end ofthe month because they may not have themoney to pay by then.

A woman with mild learning disabilitiesin Scotland said,

“It’s money I have a problem with…It’s just much easier for me to pay

as you go.”

£

36

Not many people who talked to us andhad a mobile, were paying monthly.

Most people thought Pay As You Go waseasier to pay for and felt that their moneywould be safer.

For example, if they lose their phones,with Pay As You Go they would not getcharged for calls they didn’t make.

Some people told us they found it difficultto top up their phone. They had problemsreading the long number and entering itinto their mobile.

Shop.

37

Useful contacts andinformation

If you want to complain about your TV,telephone, mobile or Internet, we havenotes that can help.

Did your landline phone company changeeven though you didn’t ask for it tochange? We have helpful notes for you too.

To get them sent to you call:

Ofcom Advisory Team

Telephone: 0300 123 3333

Website: http://www.ofcom.org.uk

You can ask for Large Print copies as well.

38

If you are getting nuisance callsand want these to stop, call:

Telephone Preference Service

Telephone: 0845 0700 707

Website www.tpsonline.org.uk

39

Thank you

Bebo and the Bebo logo are registered trademarks of Bebo Inc.Used with permission.

Image of Poirot used with permission. © ITV.

Images of Question Time, Crimewatch, Eastenders, Two Pints ofLager and a Packet of Crisps © BBC.

iTunes is a trademark of Apple Inc. This EasyRead document isan independent publication and has not been authorised, spon-sored or otherwise approved by Apple Inc.

40

Credits

This report has been designed andproduced for Ofcom by the ‘EasyRead’service at Inspired Services Publishing Ltd.Ref ISL168/08. November 2008.

Artwork is from the Valuing People Clipartcollection and cannot be used anywhereelse without written permission fromInspired Services. To contact InspiredServices:

www.inspiredservices.org.uk