Often our consultations can get bogged down with clinical language or government-specific jargon. This may make it hard for some of our citizens to read and understand what you are engaging them on.
Easy Read is a way to ensure that everyone has access to the information in a form that makes it, as the name suggests, easy to read. Thankfully, there is an award-winning online accessibility toolkit available to help us create more accessible content.
Below are some of the key principles of Easy Read:
- It is sometimes called Easy English or simple English.
- It can be used on any type of publication including websites, reports, consultation papers and legislation.
- It is information that is presented in a way that is very easy for everyone to understand by:
- using plain-language
- using short sentences
- telling people exactly what they need to know
- using pictures to explain concepts
What are the benefits?
Lots of people find Easy Read useful:
- People are busy and need to understand information quickly
- Easy Read helps people with a learning disability understand information easily
- Easy Read can also be helpful for:
- people who are not familiar with English
- people with dyslexia
- people with low literacy
Case Study
The federal government Department of Social Services has recently published a number of Easy Read versions of documents relating to Coronavirus to help citizens stay safe and well. Some of them include:
These and many other relevant documents have been prepared by the Information Access Group. Head to their website to have a look at a number of Easy Read examples that can give you some ideas when drafting your next document.
"At times such as these, accessible communications are vital for everyone in our community, particularly the most vulnerable."
We hope this has helped you understand how Easy Read can help all citizens actively engage with you.
If your agency needs to put together a public consultation, please get in touch with us and we can help you get the best outcomes for your project.