We like some sorts of jargon. ‘Hard to reach’ is the sort of jargon I do not like.
‘Hard to reach’ does not sum up something that needs a whole page of writing to explain.
‘Hard to reach’ does not have a specialist exact meaning that everyday language can’t provide.
What does ‘hard to reach’ mean?
It is jargon used by organisations to talk about people.
It is usually used as shorthand for ‘People who have rights under the Equalities Act’. It is also usually treated as if people with rights under the Equalities Act are a problem that needs fixing.
‘Hard to reach’ is not Easy Read. When we do Easy Read, we need to know what people were thinking when they used the phrase. Then we can pick the right Easy Read words.
Here are some meanings. Do any of them feel right for how you use the jargon?
People who have rights under the Equality Act. Say that, not ‘hard to reach’
People we exclude by how we do things. Say ‘people we aren’t reaching’ Get an independent audit to see how ‘business as usual’ affects people. Once you’ve done it, you will be ahead of the game next time you do an equality impact assessment.
Go talk to organisations that represent people covered by the Act. If you can’t reach people directly right now, pay the organisations to do it for you.
People who aren’t in contact with us. Say ‘people we aren’t in contact with’. And if you don’t know why because you don’t have a way to find out, talk to us. We can sort finding out, so you at least know what the problems are.
