Submission - Assisted Dying Review - EYECAN
This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.
EYECAN Responses
Do you believe there is currently sufficient public awareness about the Assisted Dying service and the upcoming legislative debate?
There are so many factors around awareness which make this a difficult question. These include whether the public are interested, what they go looking for, which media outlets they follow, and their access to media sources. There is also a great deal of personal sentiment surrounding the subject, which understandably determines whether people want to discuss it, depending on their personal views on appropriateness. Given the sensitivity of this important decision, there probably cannot be too many awareness - raising opportunities to ensure the outcome is representative of what island
communities want.
In your opinion, are minority groups, care home residents, individuals with disabilities, and other potentially marginalised communities adequately informed?
The 2026 election process is currently doing some good work to consider islanders living with sight loss. This includes awareness-raising sessions for government staff, the Grefe considering audio versions of mandates in the lead-up to the elections, and attendance at community events focused on embracing our differences and directly linked to disabilities. It is great to see proactive steps being taken to ensure
accessibility, but there can never be too many steps in this regard. There are also many forums, such as the Visual Impairment Partnership Board, that should be considered,
as these are useful platforms to engage clients and are always on the lookout for
current and informed offers of engagement.
Do you think these groups may need any accommodations in accessing information about the Assisted Dying service?
As above, personal engagement opportunities are essential, and these should be proactive efforts to engage, rather than expecting clients to find the information themselves. Navigating conventional and technical routes to information can prove challenging, depending on the extent of a person's sight loss. Accessibility standards have been shared with colleagues in Government, and we are aware that the GoJ D&I team are always looking to promote those standards. Audio access is also very important to complement other efforts to communicate using plain, uncomplicated formats with appropriately sized fonts.
Are there specific barriers to awareness that you believe need to be addressed?
The biggest barrier is assumption. If a person looking to engage considers sight loss (or other forms of disability), a solution can be found to communicate effectively. There is no "one size fits all" solution, so the key for any level of communication is that the communicator takes steps to be creativelike the points provoked by these questions.
Putting yourself in the position of a person living with sight loss and challenging yourself to understand just how difficult simple tasks can be would certainly lead to broader consideration.
In your opinion, how do you think the government can strike a balance to ensure islanders are informed about the availability of the service, without advertising or promoting it?
Much of this has been covered. Simply by engaging different communities, not assuming everyone has access, and being creative in considering the challenges of different forms of communication. Plenty of advice has been given to the Comms and D&I teams within Government, so ensuring that earlier advice is followed would be a very good step.