Supporting customers with disabilities

We have a working relationship with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), who are helping us to continuously improve our services to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Alternative document formats

On request, we can supply copies of key correspondence in one of several formats. You can choose from:

• Large print.
• Braille.
• Audio CD.

Large print documents are provided in font size 20. Items posted in alternative formats will be marked 'Articles for the Blind' on the envelope.

We can also provide a free magnifying sheet to enlarge the text on our correspondence. Give us a call and we can arrange this for you.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

If you can't find an answer to your question here, please call us and we'll do what we can to help.

Email

On occasion, we may correspond with you via email. If you need additional support to respond to us, such as speech recognition software, please let us know.

Using our website

Our website should work with all major screen reader software. Our latest design allows for bigger buttons and links so you can navigate more easily.

If the design or layout of our website makes it difficult to use, you can change the size of the text and the colour of the pages to make things clearer. My Computer My Way explains how to make various changes.

Additional support

The RNIB's website provides information about benefits and financial support available to people who are blind or visually impaired..

Next Generation Text (NGT) is a free text relay service you can use to communicate with us.

You don't need any special kit – you just download the NGT Lite app from the App Store or Google Play Store onto your smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you have a BT textphone and prefer to use this, just dial 18001 followed by our normal telephone number.

If it would be helpful to follow up our conversations in writing, please let us know and we can arrange for this to be sent to you by email or post.

If the information provided here doesn't answer your question, please call us and we'll do what we can to help.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

Video

All of our video content (e.g. product explainer clips) is hosted on YouTube, and English subtitles/closed captions are available.

Additional support

Action on hearing loss provides information about benefits and financial support available to people with hearing loss.

Our colleagues are trained to assist if you need longer to complete phone calls. We won't rush you.

If you prefer, we can talk via text relay instead. Next Generation Text (NGT) is a free text relay service. You don't need any special kit – you just download the NGT Lite app from the App Store or Google Play Store onto your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

If you have a BT textphone and prefer to use this, then you simply dial 18001 followed by our telephone number.

If the information provided here doesn't answer your question, please call us and we'll do what we can to help.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

We aim to support you, your family or carer to offer the best possible help and support when we speak to you. This mean we can help you manage your account more easily.

We will:

• Take the time to explain things and make sure you understand.
• Deal with someone you trust on your behalf, if you prefer.
• Confirm details of our conversation by sending follow up letters, emails or texts.

If you want to authorise someone else to manage your account, download a Letter of Authority form and send it to us.

If the information provided here doesn't answer your question, please call us and we'll do what we can to help.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

Additional support

Alzheimer’s Society provides practical information about support available to people with Dementia.

If you're caring for someone who needs additional support – perhaps because they have dementia or learning difficulties – we'll support you to help manage the account more easily.

The account holder must first give authority for their carer to discuss the account on their behalf. Download a Letter of Authority form to help them do this.

If your relative would benefit from follow-up letters, emails or texts to confirm how you're managing their account, we can provide these.

We try to write everything in plain English so things are easy to understand. Because of the nature of our business, some of the legal documents we provide can be difficult to read.

If you're struggling to understand a document, give us a call on 0800 0461 594 and we can try to explain it in simpler terms.

Our letters

We print our letters on white paper, which we know can make it hard for some people with dyslexia to read them. If your dyslexia affects you in this way, we can provide a coloured overlay free of charge.

To request one or if the information provided here doesn't answer your question, please call us and we'll do what we can to help.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

Using our website

If the design or layout of our website makes it difficult to use, you can change the size of the text and the colour of the pages to make things clearer. My Computer My Way explains how to make various changes.

Additional support

British Dyslexia Association provides practical information about support available to people with dyslexia.

If you need support with something which isn’t listed, pleasecall us and we'll do what we can to help.

· Personal customers: 0800 0461 594. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
· Commercial customers: 0161 333 7415. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm.