RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

  • What is Louder than Words (LTW)?

    LTW is a best practice charter for organisations striving to offer excellent levels of service and accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing customers and employees. We are confident that if an organisation meets the LTW quality standards, it is more than likely to exceed DDA requirements.

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  • What is the first step towards meeting the LTW charter?

    You can get a copy of the Louder than Words information leaflet by calling us on 0161 276 2311/2 (telephone), 0161 276 2316 (textphone) or emailing training.services@rnid.org.uk

    You can also use these contact details to book a benchmarking visit.

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  • How can a company qualify for the charter?

    Any company or organiastion can apply to undertake the Louder than Words process.

    The LTW qualification process has two parts: a benchmarking visit and an audit inspection. Initially an assessor will pay you a day visit to look at how closely your organisation is meeting each of the 10 Louder than Words quality standards.

    We will then document this in a detailed report, clearly indicating what action needs to be taken in order to meet each standard.  Then, once you feel you have implemented all of the recommendations in the benchmark report, you can request an audit. An assessor will then re-visit your organiastion to see that you have implemented the recommendations.

    We will award the charter if the audit shows everything is in place.  If anything still needs implementing, we will work out a time scale for you to put this in place so that you can achieve the charter at a later date.

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  • What do the Louder than Words standards involve?

    Nine of the quality standards relate to customer care and one standard relates to employees.

    We will award you with our Louder than Words charter mark if you meet or exceed our ten quality standards in three areas.

    You will need to show that you:

    1. can communicate well with customers and staff
    2. have a safe and deaf-friendly environment
    3. make it easy for people to contact and access your organisation

    1. Communication with customers and staff

    • Train staff to communicate effectively with customers
    • Have clear and visible deaf aware policies
    • Provide clear information about your products

    2. A safe and deaf-friendly environment

    • Use appropriate equipment, making sure it works
    • Create a good listening environment
    • Produce and follow clear health and safety procedures

    3. Access to your organisation

    • Meet requests for communication support whenever possible
    • Be comfortable and familiar with RNID Typetalk
    • Consult with customers and staff
    • Be open about your employment practices

    We will work with you throughout the whole process to ensure that you are able to meet these standards but also explain fully how each one of these standards might relate specifically to your business or organisation.

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  • How much does it cost to get the charter?

    The charter is tailored to each organisation, so costs will vary. Your business goals and the changes you choose to implement are all taken into consideration.

    All of our costs will be made clear before the benchmark and you should not incur any further costs without prior knowledge and agreement.

    If you would like to talk to someone about cost, please feel free to contact us.

    We are confident that the Louder than Words charter offers a cost-effective solution to your accessibility requirements and will enable your business to offer a higher quality service to all your customers.

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  • Will the assessor understand my organisation?

    Our assessors have a broad business background and generally work with us on a variety of projects. The quality of their work is managed by a Louder than Words coordinator who matches the size or complexity of an organisation to an assessor's experience.

    We make it our priority to ensure we tailor our service to meet your needs, and are flexible in our approach to reflect your organisation’s needs and circumstances.

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  • Is Louder than Words a difficult process to undertake?

    We try to make the Louder than Words process as simple as possible, and the Louder than Words coordinator is always on hand to answer any questions that you may have at any stage of the process.

    Peter Ayliffe (Lloyds TSB) said the following about the Louder than Words process:

    "Many of the Louder than Words standards are relatively easy and cost-effective to implement.  Considering the profound impact they have on deaf people’s experiences in dealing with the company, they are effective in bringing improvements and benefits to customers, staff and the organisation as a whole."

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  • What happens if we're not ready for the audit by the time we thought we would be?

    We try and work to an agreed timescale that suits you and will always aim to be realistic with any timescales that we recommend.

    However, even if you find you are not quite ready, the audit will give you an opportunity to see what progress you have made and what else you need to do to meet the LTW charter in full, so it is worth aiming for an audit as early as possible. You will also find it a useful opportunity to have some quality feedback from an independent viewpoint.

    Organisations can gauge their readiness from the benchmarking report. If you have implemented all the recommendations then your organisation should be ready for the audit.

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  • Does the LTW charter need renewing?

    Organisations have to do a self-assessment every until the third year when we return for another audit.  Changes in legislation, technology and personnel may need a more in depth review e.g. textphones, PCs, talk by text and email.

    Our experienced advisers are based in locations nationwide and are trained to assist running the Louder than Words project.

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  • What happens after we achieve the Louder than Words charter mark?

    The Louder than Words charter mark is awarded indefinitely, subject to regular reviews annually. Within this timeframe, you can choose how frequently you wish us to check that you are still achieving the requirements of the LTW charter and tell you what progress you have made since the last assessment.

    To discuss your individual requirements relating to Louder than Words:

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