Small changes, warmer welcome: making antenatal and postnatal education more accessible to every family
Accessibility is sometimes imagined as an expensive project for large organisations. In practice, many of the most useful improvements begin with a question, a clearer document or a more flexible way to take part.
Picture a familiar scene: the venue has steps, the joining instructions are a dense PDF, the presentation uses pale text on a photograph and the online session has no captions. None of these choices was intended to exclude anyone. Together, however, they can turn an ordinary class into an obstacle course.
Accessible practice starts by noticing that people receive information and participate in different ways. A parent may have a sensory, physical, learning or communication need, experience pain or fatigue, or use English as an additional language. Some needs will be visible; many will not.
The legal context matters. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers must anticipate barriers for disabled people and make reasonable adjustments. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances, including effectiveness, practicality, cost and the provider’s resources. The duty is not limited to responding after a person has struggled.
NHS England’s revised Accessible Information Standard, published in June 2025, directly applies to NHS and publicly funded adult social care bodies rather than every independent practitioner. Even so, its six step approach, identify, record, flag, share, meet and review communication needs, is a useful model for anyone designing a respectful service.
The following changes are deliberately practical. Some cost nothing. Others require planning or specialist support. All begin with the assumption that access is part of quality, not an optional extra.
Ask before you guess
Add a simple question to booking forms and joining emails: “Do you have any access or communication needs that would help you take part?” Provide a private route to answer, and make clear that participants can contact you if their needs change.
Avoid asking for unnecessary medical detail. The useful information is often the barrier and the adjustment: step-free access, a seat near the door, captions, an electronic handout in advance, extra processing time or permission to keep the camera off. If sensitive information is recorded, handle it in line with data-protection requirements and only share it where necessary and appropriate.
Most importantly, reply. Confirm what can be provided and discuss alternatives early if a request cannot be met exactly.
Make the route into the room clear
“Accessible venue” is too vague to be useful. Joining information should say whether there is step-free access, an accessible toilet, nearby parking or public transport, and how far participants may need to walk. Mention lifts, heavy doors and any temporary obstacles. A photograph of the entrance can help people plan.
For online sessions, explain the platform, caption options, how to test audio and how to ask for help privately.
If the usual venue presents a barrier, consider whether another room, hybrid access, a smaller alternative session or a home-based option is reasonable and safe. Flexibility should not compromise safeguarding, confidentiality or the quality of the service, but habit alone is not a good reason to retain a barrier.
Improve every handout
Clear information benefits almost everyone, particularly tired people absorbing unfamiliar material.
Use a readable font at a sensible size, strong contrast, descriptive headings and generous spacing. Avoid placing essential words over images or using colour alone to convey meaning. Write links that describe their destination rather than “click here”. Add alternative text to meaningful images in digital documents and captions or transcripts to recorded video.
Plain English is not childish English. Short sentences and familiar words make complex information easier to use while preserving accuracy. Define necessary technical terms and put the most important action first.
When sending a document, consider whether it works with a screen reader and whether an editable or HTML version would be more accessible than a scanned PDF. Ask what format is useful instead of assuming that large print solves every visual-access need.
Design participation, not just presentation
A two hour stream of spoken information followed by “Any questions?” favours a narrow range of learners. Mix short explanations with diagrams, demonstration, discussion and reflection. Give questions in advance where possible. Allow thinking time before expecting an answer.
Offer more than one way to contribute: speaking, chat, anonymous notes or a follow-up message. Tell participants when breaks will happen and keep to them. Normalise movement, comfort adjustments and brief time away from the room. At the beginning, explain that people may participate in different ways without needing to justify themselves publicly.
Be careful with role play, touch and personal disclosure. Explain the purpose, seek consent and offer an equivalent way to learn. A participant should not have to reveal trauma or a disability to decline an activity.
Use inclusive language without turning people into labels
Inclusive communication is both broad and personal. Use the name, pronouns and family terms a participant gives you. Do not assume that the accompanying person is a husband, that every pregnancy was planned, that all parents will breastfeed, or that every family shares the same cultural or religious expectations.
At the same time, retain clear, accurate language where sex-specific information is clinically relevant. The aim is not to erase anyone’s experience but to communicate precisely and respectfully to the people present.
If you make a mistake, correct it briefly and continue. A sincere adjustment is usually more reassuring than a long explanation of good intentions.
Review what actually happened
Accessibility is not completed when the policy is written. After a course, ask whether participants could access the venue, materials and activities, and what would have made participation easier. Include a way to respond privately.
Look for patterns. If several people request slides in advance, captions or clearer parking information, make that the default. The booking page, payment process and reminder email are all part of the service.
Keep a short access checklist for each course and record agreed adjustments so they are not forgotten. Where information needs to be shared with a colleague, do so securely, with an appropriate basis, and only to the extent needed.
A visible expression of standards
External professional standards can sound abstract until a family encounters them. Accessibility makes them visible: the registrant plans ahead, communicates clearly, listens to individual need and reviews the quality of their work. These behaviours protect the public while also protecting practitioners from avoidable confusion, inconsistent promises and rushed last-minute decisions.
No small practice can anticipate every need, and accessibility does not demand instant perfection. It does require curiosity, reasonable preparation and a willingness to change. Start with the next booking form, the next set of slides or the next venue email. One small barrier removed may be the difference between a family merely being invited and genuinely being able to take part.
