An Unhealthy Communication Gap: Why making information accessible is key to health equity
In Co-production Week (29 June to 3 July 2026), Peter Friedman explores the accessibility of the healthcare system and how co-production can support this process.
For many of us, navigating the healthcare system is a series of simple exchanges: reading a letter, understanding a diagnosis, or explaining a symptom.
But for millions of people -including those with learning disabilities, autism, dyslexia, or other cognitive challenges - these ‘simple’ exchanges are often fraught with invisible, systemic barriers.
At IC Works, we see these communication hurdles not just as administrative inconveniences but as the root cause of profound health inequalities. When information is inaccessible, people are effectively locked out of their own healthcare.
The Inequality Lens: A Systems Failure
Health inequality isn't just about social determinants like housing or income; it is about service responsiveness. If a healthcare provider delivers information in a format that a patient cannot process, they are failing to provide a basic standard of care.
We view these challenges through a lens of ‘Institutional Communication Blindness‘. This is where health systems prioritise standard, complex, and high-literacy communication as the default. When patients cannot meet that standard, the system often defaults to:
Exclusion: Communicating with carers or family members while ignoring the patient.
Diagnostic Overshadowing: Misinterpreting a patient's communication style (or distress caused by poor communication) as ‘challenging behaviour ‘ or ‘part of their disability, ‘ leading to missed physical health issues.
Reduced Agency: Leaving patients unable to provide informed consent, leading to fear, trauma, and medical disengagement.
Co-Production: The Antidote to Inequity
The traditional approach -where organizations design ‘accessible ‘ tools behind closed doors -often results in patronizing or inaccurate resources. At IC Works, we believe that if you want to solve a problem, you must involve the people who live with it every day.
Our co-production model, built with our panel of Experts by Experience, transforms how organisations interact with patients:
Lived Experience as Expert Insight: Our Experts by Experience aren't just ‘testers‘ - they are the designers. Whether it's a doctor's letter, a digital patient portal, or a hospital guide, our experts identify exactly where the ‘scare factor‘ or the ‘jargon wall‘ exists.
Bridging the Gap for Neurodivergence: Accessibility is not one-size-fits-all. Our team brings nuanced perspectives on how to support autistic people, those with dyslexia, and individuals with varied cognitive processing needs. We move beyond simplistic ‘Easy Read ‘ toward modern, functional, and respectful communication design.
Humanising the Data: Health inequality data often focuses on ‘outcomes‘. Our co-production focus shifts the attention to the process.
When we co-create with people who have experienced these inequalities, we develop tools that empower patients to advocate for themselves, manage their conditions, and navigate the system with dignity.
Moving from Compliance to Culture
Compliance with the Accessible Information Standard should be the floor, not the ceiling. True health equity requires a cultural shift in how healthcare providers view their role as ‘communicators‘.
When we work with the NHS and other partners, we aren't just producing documents; we are helping institutions move from being ‘excluders‘ to being ‘partners.‘
By centring the voices of those with lived experience, we ensure that information isn't just ‘easy to read‘ - it is easy to use, easy to trust, and ultimately life-saving.
Why IC Works?
We are people with a learning disability, autistic people, and passionate advocates. We don't just ‘do‘ accessibility; we live it.
Our work is guided by the people who know what it’s like to be ignored by the system, and we are dedicated to ensuring that nobody is left behind.
Ready to start a conversation about closing the health equality gap in your organisation?
Reach out: Email ian@ic-works.co.uk
Call us: 07788 587 175
Explore our work: Visit easy-read-documents.com
True accessibility is a human right.
Let’s build a healthcare system that understands everyone, and that everyone can understand.