Easy-to-read

Easy-to-read is a way to write information in a simple way

so that everyone can understand it.

We use easy words, short sentences, and images to help all people understand what the text is about.

Any kind of information can be turned into easy-to-read.

For example:

• Booklets

• Leaflets

• Webpages

• Reports

• Surveys

• Videos

You can find more information about easy-to-read at www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read.

All people have the right to information that they can understand.

Easy-to-read is for everyone

including:

• People who have an intellectual disability or learning difficulty Easy-to-read helps them to understand important information and take part in life like everyone else. For example:

  • Booking a ticket and planning a trip,

  • Filling in a form at the hospital,

  • Voting at the elections,

  • Understanding their rights,

  • Making informed decisions about their lives,

  • Going to the police or to court.

• People who don’t have the time or the concentration to read long and complex information
  

• Refugees, migrants and people who don’t speak English as a first language For example, if information is easy to read, it will be much easier for them to understand their rights and the procedures they need to follow in a new country.
  

• Children and young people For example, if information in museums and other places is easy to read, it will be easier for children to learn and have fun.
  

• Older people For example, if the instructions of how to pay a bill online are easy to read, more older people will be able to do this from home without having to go out and wait in queues.
  

• People with low literacy There are people who did not have the chance to finish school and they cannot read complex texts. If information is easy to read, it will be easier for them to stay informed about things that are important for their lives.
  

• People who read about a topic for the first time For example, a person who wants to know more about the European Union may get confused by how complex information is on its website. Having a page with a summary in easy-to-read will help them understand better.

In our work we use the European Standards for making information easy to read and understand.

These are a set of rules that explain how to make information easy to read.

These rules have been created by Inclusion Europe,

an organisation of people with intellectual disabilities in Europe.

We also respect and follow the values of

the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This is a text that says what rights people with disabilities have

and how countries can protect these rights.

We can turn any kind of text into an easy-to-read summary by following these steps:

1. We check the text you want us to turn into easy-to-read and try to understand how much time it will take us to do this job.
   

2. We tell you when we could have it ready and how much this job will cost. The price for this job is not based on the number of pages or words of the text. It is based on how complex the text is.
   

3. Once you agree with our offer, we start working to create the easy-to-read summary of your text. The summary is normally up to 20 pages.
   

4. We add images to help people understand the text more easily. We choose images that represent all people. We do not like to show only one kind of disability or one type of people. We can also use images you give us, as long as they are clear and accessible.
   

5. We check the text with one or more people with intellectual disability to make sure everything is understandable for them. If needed, we make changes to make things clearer.
   

6. We send the final text to you and wait for your feedback. If you ask us to make changes, we will work on them and send the new version of the text to you. We can make the changes you ask us up to two times.
   

7. If the changes you ask are complex and take a longer time, like adding a whole new paragraph in the text, we may need to repeat some of the previous steps. In this case, an extra cost may be charged.
   

8. Once the text is final, we send it to you in Word and PDF format. The final text is accessible and all people can read it, including blind people who use screen reader technology.