This article is written by Charise Canales, Neighbourhood Engagement Coordinator, City of Arvada, CO and ambassador in Apolitical's 2020 equity cohort for public servants.

History has shown us that levels of trust in the government change during a crisis. Communities look to their leadership for information, security and consistency while living through periods of uncertainty and hardship.

Recent trends are showing us that during the Covid-19 crisis, trust in local governments in the United States is stronger than in the federal government, because they are the ones immediately responsible for continued daily services and communication at the local level. How a government agency handles a crisis has a lasting impact on the level of trust within a community for years to come.

So how do you successfully build that trust?

Ask the experts

The key is to communicate and engage with your community in ways that make them feel safe and that they belong. Many municipalities struggle with ensuring that their messaging is accessible to all members of their community, from a variety of perspectives.

One group that has experienced heightened challenges during the Covid-19 crisis is the deaf and hard of hearing community. How? Mandated and widespread use of face masks, as well as lack of adequate captioning on video communications, as they rely heavily on use of facial expressions and lip reading while communicating with each other and with the hearing community.

As leaders in local government, we need to think about accessibility and engagement before, during and after a pandemic — and how we can build trust most effectively and most sustainably with the community

Prior to Covid’s outbreak, they have also relied on written communication, using messages on a phone or a pen and paper, to communicate with those that do not sign. But with physical distancing measures in place, most people will be unable to get close enough to use their common tactics to communicate. It makes for feelings of frustration and a lack of belonging. So how can we better communicate and include marginalised groups like the deaf and hearing impaired community?

Step 1: Ask them. They are the experts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that approximately 8.6% of the United States population three years of age and older are deaf or hearing impaired according to the 2012 CO Census. As a significant proportion of our population, it’s imperative that we are able to sufficiently address their needs. Several innovations have developed in response to the struggles they face, among them is the creation of transparent masks. Members of the deaf community say it’s a start, but we need to do more.

As we move engagement online, we need to incorporate accurate video captioning on social media platforms and press conferences. We also need a wider prevalence of using American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters on the local news level, where it’s not mandated unlike at the national and state level.

This is what local government leadership is about

We can learn by example.

The vast majority of US governors are including ALS interpretation in their press conferences. In my home state of Colorado, there has been active discussion around Governor Jared Polis’ ASL interpreter. People have been asking why she does not wear a mask while standing next to the Governor. Polis made intentional efforts to educate the community on the needs of the deaf and hearing impaired, citing their use of facial expressions and lip reading to communicate. His administration even took it a step further by switching to picture-in-picture sign language interpretation (in which the interpreter works from a separate room) so that all parties were safe while meeting the needs of his hearing impaired community members.

As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we need to focus on people of all backgrounds and on relationship building through fostering belonging; this will help communities recover faster

As leaders in local government, we need to think about accessibility and engagement before, during and after a pandemic — and how we can build trust most effectively and most sustainably with the community.

Before the pandemic, many agencies used community surveys to understand perceptions of transparency and accessibility of their messaging. Many municipalities explored broadening engagement strategies outside of public meetings at City Hall, using online platforms, tele-town halls and in-person outreach. It’s important to build a diverse toolbox of strategies to engage stakeholders in ways that are comfortable, convenient and appropriate to them. And to ensure that these tools and strategies are flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances.

Above all, we need to maintain a core set of values that will allow us to continue this work and meet the needs of our community members.

Strategies for accessibility

The strategies that we are seeing used to engage marginalised communities like the deaf and hard of hearing can be replicated and broadened to help your agency build trust through equity over the long term with other under-served groups. Here’s a few of my favourite tactics:

  • Translation and interpretation: Your agency should have policies, procedures and contracts in place to ensure accessibility from different language and/or communication backgrounds.
  • Video captioning: As we rely more heavily on social media to educate our public about local matters, advocates in the deaf and hearing impaired community are pushing for use of video captioning.  Many politicians are popularising video captioning on Instagram stories. There are apps that also allow for captioning in a variety of different languages.
  • Avoid ableist language and imagery: It’s not always a “5 minute walk to a park”; think of alternative ways that people get around.
  • Representation matters: Use a wide spectrum of people on your platforms (people of all abilities, races, genders, ages, etc.) People need to seem themselves, and people that they relate to on their city’s communication platforms to feel like they belong. Their interests and values need to be represented.
  • Acknowledge and celebrate all holidays: Again, the interests and values of all individuals and groups should be represented equally.
  • Provide real access to all: Be intentional about how physically accessible your public engagement opportunities are to all residents. Are they on a bus route? Are they held in ADA accessible buildings?

The key message is that we are in a new era of emergency preparedness and responding to crises. As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we need to focus on people of all backgrounds and on relationship building through fostering belonging; this will help communities recover faster. And this is truly dependent on our ability to build a foundation of trust. — Charise Canales

(Picture credit: Unsplash)