Karen Warner, information services manager and Laura Griffiths, accessible information officer, Learning Disability Wales Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Easy Read Information
for people with a learning disability
Laura Griffiths, Accessible Information Officer
Karen Warner, Communications Manager 1

2. What we will cover
• What is accessible information
• What is easy read
• Why is easy read important including a film
• Standards and guidelines, including Clear and Easy
• Check It! Tool and readability tests
• Easy Read Welsh
• Doing easy read – text, sentences, layout and images
• Easy Read Wales – our translation service and our training
• Try it for yourself!
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3. What is Accessible Information?
• What is accessible for one person may be inaccessible for
another. There is no ‘one size fits all’.
• For a general audience, the best you can do is to make it
to accessible to as many people as possible.
• It can mean easy read, technologies, communication aids,
browsealoud, Welsh synthetic voice (RNIB), large print,
BSL, braille, audio, widgets, screen readers.
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4. What is easy read?
• It’s a way of writing and presenting information using:
• Simple straightforward language
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• 1 idea per sentence
• Clear and logical structure
• Pictures or graphics that support the meaning of the text
• Essential information only
• Personal, active and positive language
• And avoiding:
• Abstract concepts
• Jargon
• Figures of speech or metaphors
• Childish language
• Long, difficult words
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5. Why is easy read important?
• Approximately 1.5 million people in the UK
have a learning disability
(Source: People with Learning Disabilities in England 2011)
• Around 15% or 5.1 million adults in England can
be described as "functionally illiterate“
(Source: National Literacy Trust Website)
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6. Why is easy read important?
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7. Why is easy read important?
• Good for people - think about your audience
• Good for your organisation
• Fewer mistakes, missed appointments and misunderstandings
• Where there is a choice, more people will choose your
organisation
• People will have a higher opinion of your organisation
• It help you comply with legal requirements
• A legal right
• Equality Act 2011
• Mental Capacity Act 2005
• UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
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8. Standards and guidelines
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• Our own guidelines: Clear and Easy handbook, 2012
• England only: NHS Accessible Information standard,
2016
https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/accessibleinfo/
• All Wales Standards for Accessible Communication
and Information for People with Sensory Loss, 2013

9. Easy read guidelines
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• Free guide available to
organisations:
• Thinking
• Planning
• Doing
• Checking & Check it!
• Changing
• Find out more
https://www.ldw.org.uk/er-resource/clear-and-easy-handbook/

10. Check It! Tool
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• How to use check it
• Checking letters
• Checking leaflets
• Checking documents, reports and
consultations
http://www.ldw.org.uk/er-resource/check-it/

11. Readability tests
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In word:
Click the File tab, and then click Options.
Click Proofing.
Under When correcting spelling and
grammar in Word, make sure the Check
grammar with spelling check box is
selected.
Select Show readability statistics.

12. Easy Read Welsh
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Often Easy Read English does not easily translate into Easy Read
Welsh. We have bilingual guidelines in two parts:
An introduction for commissioners of Easy Read, explaining why it is important
that people with a learning disability who speak Welsh receive information in
Easy Read Welsh.
Guidelines for translators, which gives suggestions to consider when
translating or writing Easy Read information through the medium of Welsh.
http://www.ldw.org.uk/er-resource/guidelines-for-making-welsh-easy-to-read-
and-understand/

13. Writing easy read
The process:
• Read the document all the way through & identify aim.
• Skim read, pick out key points & do rough outline.
• Go back over it – have you covered the main points?
• Have someone else check
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14. Text
• Avoid difficult words and terms.
• 1 idea per sentence
• Use simple language – not childlike.
• Avoid jargon, no abbreviations.
• Use you and we.
• It’s ok to be repetitive.
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15. Sentences
• 12 words in a sentence
• 1 idea in a sentence
• Structure the sentence carefully
• Think about order and process
• Not line by line translation

16. Use active and personal language
X Please phone the doctor if you are unwell
 If you are unwell, please phone the doctor
X Lunch will be provided
 We will give you lunch
X Drinks are available at the bar
 You can buy a drink at the bar
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17. Fonts, layout and images
• Use a plain sans serif font like Arial or FS Me (Mencap’s font)
• Minimum of 14 point for Everyday English or 16 point for Easy
Read
• No hyphenation, no all capital letter words, no itallic or
underlining
• Short sentences – 2 to 14 words
• Short paragraphs – 1 to 4 lines
• Bullet points are OK
• Images – to the left of the text – photos, pictures, line
drawings, symbols signs – as long as they complement the
text.
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18. Easy Read Wales
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https://www.ldw.org.uk/easy-read-wales/

19. Easy read training
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• Learning Disability Wales training:
• Making information easy to read & understand Level 1
• Making information easy to read & understand Level 2
• Bespoke in-house training
https://www.ldw.org.uk/in-house-event/mieru1/

20. Thank you!
Thanks for listening! Contact us for more
information about:
• Easy read advice and guidance
• Translation & design
• Training
www.easyreadwales.org.uk / www.ldw.org.uk
easyread@ldw.org.uk

21. Give it a try!
Excerpt from: Inclusive Apprenticeships, Disability Action
Plan for Apprenticeships, Welsh Government, February
2019.
We know that employment plays an important role in
promoting people’s independence and confidence. Yet only
45% of working age disabled people are in employment in
comparison to 80% of those who are not disabled. One of
the Welsh Government’s primary aims is to move towards
an enabling and inclusive society; one where opportunities
exist for all. The Apprenticeship Programme is a proven
route into sustainable employment.
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22. Tailor-made
communications
Sponsored by
Wales Networking Group
21 May 2019
Cardiff
#CCwales

23. Visit the CharityComms website to
view slides from past events, see
what events we have coming up
and to check out what else we
do: www.charitycomms.org.uk