Accessibility

Reasonable adjustments are small changes that can help people with a disability be treated equally.

We want to make sure that you can use our services like everyone else.

The law says that reasonable adjustments should be put in place. You have the right to ask for reasonable adjustments when you use our services.

We will always listen if you tell us, you need a reasonable adjustment.

We will always try to make reasonable adjustments.

There may be some changes that we will have to think about before we can say yes.

This is because:

• we might not be able to do it.
• it might cost too much money.
• it may be unfair to other people.

You can ask us for a reasonable adjustment when you contact us. Or speak to your housing officer.

You can also ask someone else to tell us on your behalf.

You can contact us in lots of different ways.

• Telephone
• Email
• Live chat
• Sending a message through your online tenant account
• Website
• In person – at our offices, at our community centres or talking with your housing officer or independent living coordinator
• In writing
• Through an advocate

We also offer:

• Language Line interpreter services
• British Sign Language (BSL) Signlive services
• RelayUK (speech or hearing impairment)

If there is another way of contacting us that would make things easier for you, please let us know.

Most of our tenancy information is available in plain language and accessible formats on our website, or we can provide a print copy on request.  

We can provide tenancy information and some of our letters in:

• large print (Arial font size 20 pt)
• clear print (simple layout without images that is easier to read and print)
• Easy Read (these use pictures and simple words to help you)
• braille (Unified English Braille)
• audio
• other languages.

If you need something in a different format or receive something in a format that does not work for you, please let us know. We will do our best to provide it in a different way.

If English is not your first or preferred language, you can use Language Line.

Language Line is free to use.

To use Language Line:

Phone 0333 320 4555 and ask for Language Line.

The colleague who answers will request language support, and will arrange for an interpreter to join the call.

Once connected to an interpreter, you will have a three-way conversation with us in your language.

Aby uzyskać informacje na tej stronie w dużym drukiem, braille' a, audio i brytyjski język migowy, zadzwoń pod numer 0333 320 4555

Για πληροφορίες σχετικά με αυτή τη σελίδα σε μεγάλη εκτύπωση, μπράιγ, ήχο και βρετανική νοηματική γλώσσα καλέστε στο 0333 320 4555

有關此頁面上大字、盲文、音頻同英國手語嘅信息，請致電 0333 320 4555 

এই ওয়েবসাইটের তথ্য বড় মুদ্রণ, ব্রেইল, অডিও সিডি / টেপ এবং ব্রিটিশ প্রতীক ভাষায় 0333 320 4555 নম্বরে কল করে অনুরোধের ভিত্তিতে পাওয়া যাবে।

ਵੱਡੇ ਪ੍ਰਿੰਟ, ਬ੍ਰੇਲ, ਆਡੀਓ ਅਤੇ ਬ੍ਰਿਟਿਸ਼ ਸਾਈਨ ਲੈਂਗੂਏਜ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਸ ਪੰਨੇ 'ਤੇ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਲਈ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ 0333 320 4555 ਕਾਲ ਕਰੋ

I gael gwybodaeth ar y dudalen hon mewn print bras, braille, sain ac Iaith Arwyddion Prydain ffoniwch 0333 320 4555

Pour plus d’informations sur cette page en gros caractères, braille, audio et langue des signes britannique, veuillez appeler le 0333 320 4555

للحصول على معلومات حول هذه الصفحة في الطباعة الكبيرة، برايل، الصوت ولغة الإشارة البريطانية يرجى الاتصال على

0333 320 4555

We want our office reception and meeting areas to be accessible to everyone.

We welcome hearing, guide, Pet As Therapy or assistance dogs in all our offices and community centres.

All of our Leyland offices have accessible toilets and meeting rooms.

If you have concerns, please tell us.

Our Leyland offices

• Level access at Sumner House, Leyland House and Progress House
• Accessible toilets in all buildings
• Accessible kitchen/dining areas at Leyland House and Progress House
• Wheelchair-accessible reception areas and meeting rooms at Sumner House, Leyland House and Progress House
• Lift access at Sumner House
• Private breastfeeding spaces at Sumner House, Leyland House and Progress House
• Dedicated quiet/low-level noise and private spaces are available in all buildings
• Accessiible parking spaces.

*Please note not all our spaces are wheelchair accessible, but we will do our best to accommodate any specific needs.

For our other spaces or if you have any questions about how we can support you, please get in touch with us.

Hearing

We offer SignLive services in all buildings. 

Visual

We have information available at our offices in high contrast, audio, Easy Read, and large print upon request. 

General

• All employees undertake mandatory training in equality and diversity, health and safety and safeguarding
• We have evacuation procedures for disabled visitors
• We offer Language Line
• We have information available in other formats and languages on request.

If you have an appointment with us, here are some ways we can make it easier:

• We can arrange longer appointment times for you
• We will take the time to explain things and make sure you understand
• If you visit our offices, you can have your appointment in a private and quiet meeting room
• You can  have some appointments via a video call or phone call
• We can make appointments at a time that is convenient to you, such as early morning or later in the afternoon
• You can take paperwork away to understand and decide in your own time. You can then come back to complete what you want to do
• We will consider medical needs or special circumstances you make us aware of when making each appointment
• Where possible, we will always give reasonable notice of appointments instead of turning up unannounced
• Each time we make an appointment with you, you can ask us to knock louder or wait longer if you need more time to answer the door; just let us know in advance of the visit
• We can arrange for an interpreter at your appointment, just ask when you book. This could be British Sign Language (BSL), Lip Speaking or Deafblind manual interpreting. Please give us as much notice as you can. We will then confirm the appointment. If you prefer to bring a professional interpreter, we can support with the costs
• We can arrange for a language interpreter at your appointment, just ask when you book. Please give us as much notice as you can. If you prefer to bring a professional interpreter, we will support you with your costs
• You can ask your support worker or someone else to attend your appointment with you. We can also help put you in touch with free advocacy services.

Advocates can:

• Help you speak up for yourself
• Speak on your behalf at meetings or appointments
• Talk to you about what choices and options you have
• Support you to make choices so that you have more control over your life
• Help you access services. 

We can help make things easier if you are blind or partially sighted.

You can request braille or audio formats of information and letters.

If you want to change the text size on our web pages, select the link for your browser from the list: Chrome, Firefox, Safari (Apple devices only), Microsoft Edge (Windows 10 only), or Internet Explorer.

Our websites also work with screen readers.

We can help make accessing services easier if you are deaf or have deafness, hearing loss or impairment.

British Sign Language SignLive

You can talk to us live through a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter online if you are a BSL user. Our free BSL SignLive service gives you a video chat link to talk to one of our advisers. To use this service, you will need to register on the SignLive website and either download an app or access it via the internet.

Once registered, please search for Progress Housing Group or Progress Lifeline in the online community directory. By clicking on the phone number you would like to call, you will be connected to an interpreter who will support you throughout the call using BSL via a live video link.

Relay UK

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use Relay UK. Find out more on the Relay UK website

We can help make accessing services easier if you have a learning disability, are autistic, or are neurodiverse.

This could include:

• communicating with us in a different way, like sign language.
• Easy Read information or information in large print, pictures or that you can listen to.
• arranging appointments around your needs, such as changing the time, making the appointment longer or making sure you have someone with you.

Many of us may need support with our mental health at some point in our lives.

This can make managing money or your home more challenging. At these times, we can offer some extra help.

Any information you give us about your mental health is confidential. The only time we may have to disclose this is if there is a safeguarding risk and you or someone else is at risk, and we will only ever use it to help you. It will not affect any of our services to you.

We will listen and work with you to see how we can make it easier to access our services and manage your tenancy. You can also contact Mental Health UK, which can provide information and help.​

We have partnered with Life & Progress, an independent mental health and wellbeing provider, to launch a free, confidential and independent mental health and wellbeing service.

You can access practical information, resources, and counselling to help you balance your work, family and personal life.

There is no limit to the number of issues you can receive support for, and there is no cost to use the service.

We can also support you if you need adjustments to access our services, such as longer appointment times, quiet spaces or home visits.

Access free support

Our specialist Tenancy Sustainability Team can offer guidance on reducing the impact of your illness or condition on your tenancy, such as:

• help and guidance to lessen the financial impact of a serious illness
• making referrals to other services and partner organisations
• telling you about help other charities provide that can offer specific support for your illness.

Our specialist team will discuss your situation with you and assess what support is best. Get in touch here.

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to care for and support someone close to you.

Someone you support may want to give you access to manage their tenancy on their behalf.

For example, they may have a serious health condition or a learning disability.

Contact us to learn more about appointing someone or becoming a representative.

As an advocate, you are also welcome to accompany the person that you support at any appointments.

We can offer support to live safely and comfortably in your home. This could include:

• support with aids and adaptations to your home
• help with wellbeing and financial support through our tenancy sustainability service
• help to explore more suitable property options such as Extra Care, independent living, or supported living
• referrals to partner organisations
• Information on our Progress Lifeline service, which supports independent living through emergency pendant alarms and remote sensors.

We are committed to ensuring our website is accessible and inclusive.

Content and design

The site is designed to improve readability on multiple screen sizes and devices. The content has been written and formatted to make it accessible.

For example:

• Headings highlight sections of text
  
  
• Sentences are short, with the meaning at the beginning
  
  
• Links use meaningful text
  
  
• Forms can be navigated using the tab key
  
  
• Alternative (Alt) tags
  
  
• Use of HTML instead of PDF where possible.

Accessibility software

Below is a list of popular software that may be useful for customising this site to your needs. Some assistive technologies are free, and some are commercial but with free demos.

• NVDA, is a free screen reader that is compatible with Windows and available in multiple languages.

• VoiceOver, is a screen reader built into Apple's macOS and iOS, which allows users to access devices via spoken description and control the Mac using gestures, keyboard or Braille display.

• Lynx browser, a free text-only web browser for blind users with refreshable braille displays.

• Links browser, a free text-only web browser for visual users with low bandwidth.

• Opera browser, a visual browser with many accessibility-related features, including text zooming, user stylesheets, and image toggle. A free downloadable version is available. Compatible with Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and several other operating systems.

Get help

You can visit AbilityNet to alter the accessibility features of your computer to suit your needs.

Conformance status

When building this website, we have tried to ensure that everyone can use its content and services, regardless of their ability or disability.

The site design and build has taken into account the following guidelines:

The WC3 Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA, part 3)

The site exceeds WAI single 'A' and is close to WAI 'AA' standards. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user-friendly for all people.

We are continually working towards complying with 'AAA' standard of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. While we strive to adhere to the accepted guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability, it is not always possible to do so in all website areas.

Translate information on this website

You can translate information on this website using an online translator.

Although online translators can accurately translate individual words and phrases, they may not always be able to interpret the meaning of larger or more complex pieces of information.

Feedback

If you encounter any issues or have any questions regarding the accessibility of this website, please don't hesitate to report any problems to us.

We want to make accessing our services as convenient as possible for you.

This could include:

• appointments with someone who identifies in the same ways as you do, where possible. For example, you may prefer to have your appointment with a male, female or LGBTQ+ colleague present
• support or reasonable adjustments if you are a care leaver or carer or have religious practices or beliefs
• access to a prayer, faith or contemplation room
• access to private breastfeeding facilities
• access to female, male or gender-neutral toilets
• support if you are experiencing domestic abuse or facing homelessness.

If there is anything else you would like to tell us that could help you and it is not on the list, please tell us, either in person or over the phone. We will let you know if we can arrange it for you.

We want to make our services easy to access wherever you are. We have useful services and information that can help you manage your tenant account if you are at home or on the go. 

Managing your tenant account online

By logging into your online tenancy account, you can manage your tenant account in a way that works for you. It has features like:

• reporting a non-emergency repair 24/7
• booking a repair appointment
• tracking the status of your repair
• checking your rent balance
• viewing your rent statement
• finding out when your gas service is due
• reporting an issue in your neighbourhood.

If you need help using the internet, learn about how we can help you here.