Easy read

Quality 0.50 · 0 views · Updated 2 months ago

Method of presenting written information

title: "Easy read" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["accessible-information"] description: "Method of presenting written information" topic_path: "general/accessible-information" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_read" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Method of presenting written information ::

Easy read refers to a range of practices for adapting written information. Despite limited and mixed evidence regarding its effectiveness, Easy Read has increasingly been promoted in public policy and organisational guidelines as a way of improving access to information for people with intellectual disabilities.

Several government and organisational guidelines provide recommendations for producing easy read documents. Common suggestions include using sentences of 10–16 words, active voice, sans-serif fonts of at least 14-point size, bullet points, defining "hard" words, and including images.

There is little research evidence to confirm whether this combination of features improves comprehension or reduces cognitive load for people with intellectual disabilities.{{Cite thesis |last=Buell |first=Susan E. |title=Health-based information for people with intellectual disabilities: an investigation into the linguistic properties of 'easy read' literature and its contribution to the construction of meaning |date=2017 |url=https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/65618/ |access-date=2025-09-16

There is no formal accreditation or certification system for producing easy read documents. While some jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, provide guidance through government and organisational publications, practices vary widely, and there is little consensus among producers about the interpretation of the guidelines, how materials should be created or tested. Consequently, actual easy read documents differ in format, assumed reading level, and use of images.

Published peer reviewed studies challenge the effectiveness of Easy Read. A 2017 meta-narrative review found no clear evidence that easy read health information leads to improved understanding or health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities when disseminated as public information.{{Cite journal |last=Chinn |first=Deborah S. |last2=Homeyard |first2=Claire E. |title=Easy read and accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities: Is it worth it? A meta‐narrative literature review |journal=Health Expectations |date=December 2017 |volume=20 |issue=6 |pages=1189–1200 |doi=10.1111/hex.12520 |access-date=2025-08-20 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.12520 |pmc=5689240

More recent peer-reviewed research published after 2020 has expanded on these findings, suggesting that the effectiveness of Easy Read materials is highly context-dependent. While evidence remains mixed regarding whether Easy Read consistently improves comprehension outcomes, several studies indicate that Easy Read may support engagement, participation, or feelings of inclusion for some people with intellectual disabilities, particularly when materials are used alongside supportive mediation or developed with user involvement.

Some studies and narrative accounts report that easy read is positively received by certain people with intellectual disabilities, as well as their supporters. These studies describe affective benefits, such as participants reporting that they felt acknowledged or included, even though comprehension outcomes were limited or unchanged.

Research suggests that Easy Read materials may be of limited benefit for people with low literacy skills, and may not address additional barriers such as difficulties with decoding text, working memory limitations, or lack of prior knowledge, which can affect comprehension for some people with intellectual disabilities. Some studies indicate that the use of easy read materials can result in confusion, misunderstandings and disengagement. Several authors suggest that these limitations highlight the need for more flexible, participatory, and multimodal approaches to accessible information, rather than reliance on simplified written text alone.

The plain English statement: "Thank you for your letter asking for permission to put up a poster in the library; before we can give you an answer, we will need to see a copy of the poster to assure that it won't offend anyone." could be rewritten in easy read as follows: "Thank you for your letter about your poster; we need to see the poster to check that it won't upset people, then we may decide if you may put it up."

Easy Read in Leisure Literature (Australia)

In Australia, Easy Read has traditionally been used for government, health, and service information. In recent years, the format has also been applied to leisure-reading literature, including fiction, storytelling projects, and creative writing designed with and for adults with intellectual disability.{{cite news | title = Easy Read book for adults with disability | work = Coast Community News | date = May 2024 | url = https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2024/05/easy-read-book-for-adults-with-disability/

Writer and disability advocate Casey Gray has been recognised for applying Easy Read principles to recreational reading and community storytelling projects. Her work focuses on increasing access to reading for enjoyment, rather than instruction, using simplified language, clear structure, and visual support.{{cite web | title = Casey Gray | website = Bundanon Trust | url = https://www.bundanon.com.au/artist/casey-gray/

Between 2024 and 2025, several Easy Read creative works were submitted for legal deposit in Australia, including fiction and community storytelling publications. These works are catalogued by the National Library of Australia, reflecting early recognition of Easy Read leisure literature within national collections.{{cite book | last = Gray | first = Casey | title = Hear Us Roar! Easy Read | publisher = By Ed | year = 2024 | url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/256299410

Easy Read leisure literature has also been supported through public libraries, writers’ festivals, and disability organisations, contributing to discussion about access, choice, and gatekeeping in literature for adults with intellectual disability.{{cite web | title = Book Launch Program 2025 | website = Words on the Waves Writers Festival | url = https://wordsonthewaves.com.au/book-launch-program-2025/

References

|author=Inclusion Europe |title=Information for All: Making Information Easy to Read |url=https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/EN_Information_for_all.pdf |website=Inclusion Europe |access-date=21 January 2026

|author=Australian Human Rights Commission |title=Creating accessible and inclusive communications |url=https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/creating-accessible-inclusive-communications |website=Australian Human Rights Commission |access-date=21 January 2026

|title=Guidance: Accessible communication formats |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/accessible-communication-formats#easy-read-and-makaton |website=gov.uk |access-date=17 May 2017

|title=How to make information accessible |author=Change People |url=https://www.changepeople.org/images/001-how-to-make-information-accessible.pdf |access-date=12 January 2026

|year=2025 |title=Does adding pictures to easy-to-read texts benefit comprehension for adults with intellectual disability? |journal=Journal of Intellectual Disability Research

|year=2023 |title=Accessible information and comprehension outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities |journal=Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

| title = Easy Read book for adults with disability | work = Coast Community News | date = May 2024 | url = https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2024/05/easy-read-book-for-adults-with-disability/

| title = Casey Gray | website = Bundanon Trust | url = https://www.bundanon.com.au/artist/casey-gray/

| title = Book Launch Program 2025 | website = Words on the Waves Writers Festival | url = https://wordsonthewaves.com.au/book-launch-program-2025/

References

Chinn, Deborah. (2017). "Easy read and accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities: Is it worth it? A meta-narrative literature review". Health Expectations.
Sutherland, Rebekah Joy. (2016). "The Evidence for Easy-Read for People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Literature Review". Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities.
Buell, Susan. (2020). "An open randomized controlled trial of the effects of linguistic simplification and mediation on the comprehension of "easy read" text by people with intellectual disabilities". Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
"Guidance: Accessible communication formats".
'''NHS England.''' ''Make it easy: Easy Read.'' NHS England, June 2018. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/make-it-easy-easy-read.pdf. Accessed 12 January 2026.
'''Change People.''' ''How to make information accessible.'' Change People. Available at: https://www.changepeople.org/images/001-how-to-make-information-accessible.pdf. Accessed 12 January 2026.
Chinn, Deborah. (2019-10-02). "Talking to producers of Easy Read health information for people with intellectual disability: Production practices, textual features, and imagined audiences". Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability.
Meltzer, Ariella. (2025). "Easy Read… Easy English… Plain Language? Decision-Making in the Production of 'Easy' Information in Australia". Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
Amiola, Ayomipo Jeremiah. (2025-03-20). "The Ten-Point Treatment Programme: developing and evaluating an easy-read version for people with intellectual disabilities". Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities.
Mary Waight, Warren Oldreive. "Investigating accessible information formats with people who have learning disabilities".
Walmsley, Jan. (2013-01-11). "Commentary on "Enabling access to information by people with learning disabilities"". Tizard Learning Disability Review.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::