To mark the beginning of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, SCLD is raising awareness of the experiences of women and girls with learning disabilities, as well as answering the Campaign’s call, by showing how we are investing to prevent violence and abuse against women and girls with learning disabilities. Recently, we have worked with the Revenge Porn Helpline, to create Easy Read documents, helping to make the information on Revenge Porn Helpline‘s website more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Here is Izzy Petherick, who works at the Helpline, to tell us more…

“My name is Izzy Petherick and I work as a helpline practitioner for the Revenge Porn Helpline, operated by South West Grid for Learning (SWGFL). The Revenge Porn Helpline has been operating since 2015 and supports adults (those over the age of 18) who are living in the UK and have been affected by intimate image abuse, also known as ‘revenge porn’.

Before joining the Revenge Porn Helpline, I worked in roles supporting adults and children with additional needs in various settings. I feel passionate about the need for accessible services, to ensure that everyone can access the support they require. At the Helpline, we understand that the advice we provide can be vital, and endeavour to make sure everyone can access the support they deserve with ease.

As part of a series of recent updates to the website, eight new Easy Read documents have been created for the Revenge Porn Helpline website. The documents have been made in collaboration with Callum Nevitt at Values into Action Scotland (VIAS) and with the support of Michelle Mair at the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD).

Our Easy Read guides explain the information and the advice we provide through clear and accessible explanations. The documents break down our guidance into bullet points with text explanations and images to support meaning. They have information about what intimate image abuse is, the different forms of intimate image abuse, and how to get in touch with us.  You can find our Easy Read documents here.

We understood the importance of reaching out for expert support when creating the documents. Both Catherine and Callum at VIAS were patient and worked with us to ensure the information we provide was explained simply, whilst still communicating the key facts. Michelle at SCLD, advised on improvements to the drafted Easy Reads. Her expertise and critical experience in both accessibility and gender-based violence was fundamental to ensure that the documents are truly fit for purpose and able to be used to support as many people as possible.

This year, the Helpline also introduced British Sign Language translations and video explainers to our information and advice pages to ensure that any information can be provided in a variety of formats to suit the needs of the users. Updates to these videos are one of many steps we have taken to ensure that we can provide support for anyone with additional needs.

The Revenge Porn Helpline team and I are looking forward to maintaining work to improve the accessibility of all our helplines at SWGFL, to provide support to anyone who may need it.

If you’ve been affected by intimate image abuse, you can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline by phone, email, or through our anonymous 24/7 contact methods. You can find further information about how to contact the the Helpline here. ”

Izzy Petherick, Helpline Practitioner
Revenge Porn Helpline