Social Security Experience Panels: agency buildings

This report details the key themes from research into social security client expectations on agency buildings, facilities and privacy.


Telling the agency your accessibility needs

In the future, Social Security Scotland may allow clients to state their accessibility needs in advance of visiting an agency site. Over nine in ten respondents (92 per cent) wanted to be able to do this.

Table 13: Views on telling the agency accessibility needs before visiting an agency site (n=177)

Preference %
Yes 92
No 8
Total 100


The most popular option for telling the agency about accessibility needs was email, with more than eight in ten respondents (82 per cent) preferring this method. Telephone (64 per cent) and online or through an app (59 per cent) were also popular with respondents. The least popular methods were via a third party (24 per cent) and face to face (30 per cent).

Table 14: Respondents preference for telling the agency about accessibility needs (n=129-177)

Channel %
By email 82
By telephone 64
Online or through an app 59
Via someone acting on your behalf (such as an advocate or carer) 40
In writing 31
Face to face 30
Via a third party (such as Citizen's Advice Bureau) 24


The most popular accessible means of telling the agency was through the BSL Scotland Line (15 per cent). A small number of respondents also wanted to tell the agency by textphone (8 per cent) and language line (6 per cent).

Table 15: Accessible means of telling the agency about accessibility needs (n=129-177)

Accessible communication method %
BSL Scotland Line 15
By textphone 8
By language line 6

Contact

Email: James.Miller@gov.Scot

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