'The Written Word' - a simple guide to getting your information across...
This online factsheet is based on the one used in Disability Cambridgeshire's Disability Awareness Training pack - we hope it will be useful to you
Background:
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) makes it illegal to discriminate against disabled people. This is not definitive - it will need clarification by Case Law.
Why taking care is important :
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One person in 25 is blind or partially sighted
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Millions have poor vision, even when using glasses
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An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 British Sign Language (BSL) speakers have problems with written English
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At least 500,000 people for whom English is not the first language find the written word difficult
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One adult in five is functionally illiterate – ie has difficulty reading the front page of a popular daily paper
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About 4% of people have severe dyslexia ('difficulty with words') and 60% have mild to moderate problems
Best practice - quick tips for documents that will be printed:
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Use Plain English – ie simple, short sentences and everyday vocabulary
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Use paper that has only minimum reflection - ie not too glossy
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Use reasonable paper weight (min 80 gms) - so it is easy to handle
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Use plain backgrounds (no text printed over pictures or patterns) - this improves contrast
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Use good colour contrast (dark type on yellow or cream is best) - this is easier to read
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Be careful using colours for text - eg red is a difficult colour for many people with impaired sight, and many people are colour blind
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Use 'sentence case' - ie a normal mix of upper and lower case (avoid 'all capitals') - this makes it easier to read the 'shapes' of letters to form words
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Avoid unfamiliar or 'fancy' fonts,or italics or outlined or shadowed text - they are more difficult to recognise for people who have dyslexia
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Be careful with the 'emphasis' of type - it is good practice to use bolder and/or larger text or different type.
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Centred and 'justified' text can be more difficult to read - it can be better to align it to the left-hand side and have a 'ragged' right-hand edge.
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Use 'large enough' text with enough space between lines - as a minimum (Arial) 11pt for normal reading, 12pt or 14pt for older people (or for headings). The text on posters and notices etc will need to be much larger again.
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Consult your target audience for their views eg ask older and/or visually impaired clients - preferences vary widely...
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Use simple, easy to understand, uncluttered pictures and diagrams with good colour contrast. Be careful not to offend people with your choice of photos or clip art.
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Use lots of clear ('white') space between lines and sections - this is much more inviting to read than chunks of dense text
- Be careful with your size of paper - single-fold pages in A4 or A5 are easier to handle. Some people find folded A3 is too large and unfolding in two directions (like maps) can be very difficult for people with limited upper limb/body movement/control
Documents that will be used in an 'electronic format'/on screen:
Many of the above remain relevant plus...
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Presentations (eg in Powerpoint) and other visual aids should have a maximum of only six lines 'per slide' in size 24 pt type or above - it is difficult to read long tracts of small text projected onto the wall etc. They are only supposed to be prompts to your talk.
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It is easier to read text 'on screen' in single columns that are not too wide - it can be difficult to scroll up and down to read narrow parallel columns.
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Be careful if you are using underlines to emphasise text - it makes it more difficult to read the letters and also people expect an underline to mean 'click to make a link' (eg in webpages)
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If you are sending someone a computer file, make sure they have the right software to open it (eg Microsoft Word).
Often, you can export files into more friendly formats (eg Rich text Format) that can be opened by a wider range of (free) software.
The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is a very convenient, widely-used format. PDF files can be made using Adobe's own Acrobat software (which can be quite expensive) or using free 'PDF makers'. The PDF format has many 'accessibility' features that make it ideal for use by blind or partially sighted people but you might need to take care with your original file to use them (see the Adobe website for guides: www.adobe.com). -
Check that the document will be easy to read if people enlarge the text on screen or change the colour contrast - for example text laid out in several narrow columns can be difficult to read when magnified. Text that stretches across the page is often easier.
For websites:
It is quite tricky to make a good, accessible website...
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Check the technology that is being used matches up to any current accessibility guidelines – this will allow a full range of customisation (eg colours and text size) for people with a range of disabilities.
Abilitynet (www.abilitynet.org.uk) are experts and might be able to do a free quick check for you... -
One of the easiest thing you can do is to make sure that important information isn’t ‘hidden’ in pictures/graphics or some animations (such as Flash). People who use screen readers can miss out on the information. It is best to add a description in words as well.
- Another easy thing is to avoid using frames for webpages, too many tables and tricky scripting (such as Javascript) - they can be difficult to use with a screen reader. Using the new XHTML/CSS technology is probably best, for all sorts of reasons...
Other factsheets:
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Abilitynet's: General guidelines on printed material (All Abilitynet factsheets)
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Plain English Campaign: How to write in Plain English | The A-Z of alternative words
Last updated: 19 December 2007