Consultations are an important way for organisations to hear the voices and opinions of people who are impacted by and rely on their services.
People with an intellectual disability face some specific barriers to participation in consultations, including:
- not being aware of the consultation occurring
- information about the consultation is not clear or easy to read
- questions being inappropriate, inaccessible or framed in a way that doesn’t make sense
- consultations being held in inaccessible locations
- not being given enough time to respond
- not having support to participate.
These barriers mean people with an intellectual disability are often excluded from consultation processes and their voices not heard.
In this section we will look at these barriers and how you can be more inclusive when planning, promoting, running and sharing outcomes from your consultation.
Resources on this topic

Guide: Planning inclusive consultations
This guide covers:
- Why do inclusive consultations matter?
- Designing your consultation questions
- Recruiting participants
- The role of families and supporters

Factsheet: Inclusive Consultations – Talking Accessibly About Your Project
This guide covers:
- Talking about your consultation
- Things we need to know
