Accessible Information & Sensory Communication

This self-paced online awareness course is for adult care workers and agency staff working in England, including care homes, home care and supported living. Eight Modules explore identifying needs, recording actionable adjustments, appropriate sharing, accessible formats, hearing and sight loss, deafblindness and accessible care coordination. Fictional examples and written activities develop role-appropriate judgement. The course does not award clinical, interpreting, BSL or practical guiding competence.

Who this course is for

Adult care workers and agency staff in England, including care homes, home care and supported living.

What you need

An internet-enabled device and everyday English comprehension. No formal qualification is required. Use fictional examples in activities and keep real personal information secure.

Learning approach

Eight teaching videos are supported by a learner workbook, guided reading, practical scenarios and a final knowledge assessment. The course supports awareness and role-appropriate decisions; it does not qualify learners in clinical assessment, BSL, interpreting or practical guiding.

Learning time

Allow approximately 2 hours 20 minutes for the full learning package, including video learning, guided study, activities and the final assessment.

🌍 CPD learning across the UK

Access this CPD-accredited online course from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast. Study the same eight teaching videos, learner workbook and final assessment at your own pace.

The Accessible Information Standard covered in this course applies in England. Learners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should use the communication principles alongside the national requirements and employer procedures relevant to their setting. UK-wide online access does not mean the England standard applies unchanged across the UK or that a local classroom is provided.

Module 1 — Accessible Information and Rights in Adult Care

Understand accessible information, communication support and the six-step Accessible Information Standard in England’s adult care context.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Explain what accessible information and communication support mean in everyday adult care.
✓ Distinguish the England AIS provider context from a worker’s role and from translation alone.
✓ Name the six current AIS steps including review.
✓ Choose a person-led next action without claiming course completion proves compliance.

Workplace application: Compare a large-print appointment request with a request for language translation, and identify the appropriate next question.

Module 2 — Identifying Individual Information and Communication Needs

Explore respectful ways to identify the person’s preferred formats, communication support and environmental adjustments.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Ask respectful questions about the person’s information and communication needs.
✓ Identify useful formats, support and environmental adjustments without diagnosing.
✓ Distinguish actionable needs from a diagnosis-only record.
✓ Check whether an agreed adjustment works and arrange further support where needed.

Workplace application: Replace a vague handover stating only ‘hearing loss’ with questions that establish what actually helps the person.

Module 3 — Recording Flagging Sharing and Reviewing Needs

Turn agreed communication needs into actionable records, appropriate flags, authorised sharing and responsive reviews.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Describe identify, record, flag, share, meet and review as a connected cycle.
✓ Write a specific actionable needs record in an authorised system.
✓ Explain appropriate flagging and sharing during care coordination.
✓ Respond to changed or unmet needs through review and escalation without an invented fixed interval.

Workplace application: Record an agreed format and who will arrange it, then check whether the arrangement is still effective.

Module 4 — Clear Spoken Written and Digital Information

Choose clear spoken, written and digital information with the person and check that the chosen format works.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Select spoken, written and digital formats with the person.
✓ Distinguish plain English from Easy Read.
✓ Improve the clarity and usability of an everyday care message.
✓ Check understanding respectfully and arrange another format or qualified support where needed.

Workplace application: Improve a confusing care-review message and check whether plain English or another accessible format is needed.

Module 5 — Supporting People with Hearing Loss

Support everyday conversations with people with hearing loss and recognise when qualified communication support is needed.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Describe how hearing loss may affect an everyday care conversation without diagnosing.
✓ Apply person-led attention, positioning, clear speech and noise adjustments.
✓ Explain why hearing aids, lip-reading, written notes, captions and relatives are not universal solutions.
✓ Arrange appropriate communication support and recognise when current NHS urgent advice is needed.

Workplace application: Arrange a quiet face-to-face conversation and ask what communication support works for the individual.

Module 6 — Supporting People with Sight Loss and Deafblindness

Respond to individual preferences for sight loss and deafblindness while recognising the limits of practical assistance.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Ask people with sight loss or deafblindness about established preferences and communication methods.
✓ Introduce yourself, describe relevant information and seek permission before assistance.
✓ Arrange individual accessible formats and authorised specialist support without assuming Braille or writing will help.
✓ Recognise role limits and current NHS urgent vision-loss advice without teaching guiding or tactile techniques.

Workplace application: Introduce yourself, explain relevant information and ask permission before offering assistance.

Module 7 — Consent Confidentiality and Accessible Care Coordination

Support accessible care choices, appropriate information sharing and escalation without making assumptions about capacity.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Support a person to understand and express care choices using suitable communication support.
✓ Avoid inferring lack of capacity from sensory or communication difficulty.
✓ Share necessary actionable needs through authorised care-information processes.
✓ Escalate unmet communication needs or confidentiality concerns and support accessible review or complaints.

Workplace application: Arrange communication support for a care choice and share only the necessary needs through authorised processes.

Module 8 — Accessible Communication Scenarios and Improvement

Apply the six AIS steps to fictional care situations, correct immediate access barriers and review whether improvements work.

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

✓ Apply all six AIS steps to a fictional care-access failure.
✓ Prioritise correcting the person’s immediate information and communication access.
✓ Propose a factual authorised handover, escalation and process improvement.
✓ Check whether the correction works without claiming a single change proves organisational compliance.

Workplace application: Respond to an inaccessible care-review invitation, meet the immediate need and propose a factual improvement.