(2020, October) | Useful to Parent Centers and other dissemination and technical assistance centers when writing for individuals with disabilities.

How do you make writing accessible?

We know how to replace steps with ramps. We know how to widen doorways and make restrooms larger for wheelchair users. We can accommodate Deaf people with Sign Language and captions on videos. Blind people can use large print, Braille, or audiobooks. But how do we make information, instructions, and ideas more cognitively accessible, particularly for people with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities?

This article explains the purpose of writing in plain language and its importance to providing access to understandable information for those with disabilities. It also:

  • gives excellent examples,
  • explores the main characteristics of plain writing,
  • list digital tools that can help improve readability, and
  • connects you with multiple resources expressly written to inform individuals with disabilities (in plain language, of course) about such issues as COVID-19 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Access the article at:
https://forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/10/22/plain-language-writing—an-essential-part-of-accessibility/