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Summary

Clear language helps create more accessible content. It helps people understand what is important and what to do with the information they read. This includes guidance on word choice, language structure, instructions and use of numbers and symbols.

Writing and editing in plain language means using:

• Common words
• Concrete and literal words and phrases
• Consistent, clear and simple language structure.
• Language that clearly illustrates the main point and take-aways.
• Clear, short, step-by-step instructions
• Explanations of icons, numbers, and acronyms
• Multiple ways to present complex information (images, sound and text)

Why

• Clear language is more user-friendly.
• Language is more clear when it’s easier to understand. Readers can follow instructions and remember what’s important.
• When information is not clear, many people may feel more tired, confused, anxious or distracted.
• Some may read more slowly, re-read many times to process and remember information, or they may not understand the information at all.
• Clear language improves everyone's reading success and allows for a broader audience.

Who it helps

There are many types of disabilities that can make it harder to read, including a large range of cognitive and learning disabilities, mental health conditions, aging-related conditions, and cognitive impacts of some chronic or other health conditions.

Not all individuals with cognitive and learning disabilities have the same needs. Difficulties with reading vary by disability but also by individual. It’s important not to make assumptions. Many people with disabilities can understand specialized or complex information, but they may benefit from the same principles of clear language.

Clear language generally helps everyone, especially people who may have difficulty reading due to disability. Reading may also be more difficult when tired, distracted, under stress, with low-literacy, when working outside one’s first language (such as with some sign language users), or when vision is impaired.

Difficulties with reading may be related to challenges with:

• Learning, decoding, using or remembering words
• Understanding words and phrases that are abstract or ambiguous
• Following complex sentence or story structure
• Reading and processing speed
• Determining main point from detail
• Understanding instructions and what to do with them
• Remembering what was read
• Using new and unfamiliar symbols and/or acronyms
• Understanding math and numbers

How

• Write clearly and edit your content.
• Follow principles for plain language.
• Use a professional editor when possible.
• Refer to the Write tab for more instructions.

Exceptions

• Specialized or complex information - although even where information requires a specialized vocabulary or complex explanation, everyone benefits from some of the same techniques for clear words.
• Where documents are complex or specialized, provide clear language summaries (see summary guidance).
• Copyrighted, artistic or other text material with restrictions that prevent modifications.
• Artistic or humorous works can use figurative language, metaphors, sarcasm, or irony, but if possible, they should give a literal explanation.

Examples

Plan

Planning Responsibilities

1. Prior to finalizing the project budget, consider possible costs associated with developing accessible content, written in clear language.
2. During project planning, coordinate efforts with the project team to organize and schedule the approach to creating content written in clear language. Considerations to discuss:
   • If possible, secure content authors or editors with experience writing in plain language
   • Direct content authors to the clear language guideline
   • Provide training on how to develop content that uses clear language (also called plain language) principles.
   • Determine if you will create a style guide to clearly communicate the unique needs of your content
   • Plan and schedule iterative clear language quality assurance checks throughout the project cycle. Schedule time for cycles of editing.
   • If your content requires legal review, bring in legal experts early so they agree with using clear language.
   • If your content uses a lot of technical terms, idioms, jargon, metaphors or sarcasm, plan the time to write clear language summaries.
   • You may need a glossary section to define terms. This will need to be designed and coded.

Tips for Collaboration

• Work with the design team to include visually and semantically distinct heading structure (see Headings) and ability to display definitions of terms and summaries.
• Decide if you will do studies to gather end user feedback that includes people with disabilities. If so, develop a schedule and process for obtaining and integrating the feedback.
• Decide which approach will be used to evaluate clear language. For example, one or more of the following approaches could be used:
  • Use an professional editor
  • If a style guide exists, use this to evaluate clear language
  • Use the rubric in the Method "Edit for Clear Language"

Planning for Each Stage:

How to get started early

How to remediate

Methods

• Edit for Clear Language
• Definitions for Term and Abbreviations (TBD)

Design

1. You must ensure that...
   • headings levels are clearly organized and visually distinct
   • IF needed, design visually distinct summaries before blocks of text
   • Style definitions to be visually prominent
   • Design glossary
   • Use white space appropriately (reference White Space guideline (TBD)
2. This must...
   • Make it easy for users to scan blocks of text
   • Visually organize the levels of the headings
   • Make it easy to find definitions and summaries.
   • If possible, use in-line definitions so the user can get to the definition in one click and return to their place in one click. Usually this is done with a modal (popup) with a close button, which can be an X is upper right.

HOW - Guide:

Link to Style Guide(s)

Links to Video (Embedded or Links)

Designer Tips:

User Testing & Meaningful Involvement:

Methods

• "Edit for Clear Language"
• Definitions for Term and Abbreviations (TBD)

Write

Editorial Responsibilities

1. You must ensure that...
2. This must ...

Methods

• "Edit for Clear Language"
• Definitions for Term and Abbreviations (TBD)

Examples & Demo:

Video (Embedded or Links)

Editorial Tips:

Develop

Technical Responsibilities

1. You must ensure that...
2. This must ...

Methods

• Definitions for Term and Abbreviations (TBD)

Examples & Demo:

Video (Embedded or Links)

Technical Tips:

Test & Audit

Testing Responsibilities

1. You must ensure that...
2. This must ...

Auto-Testing Tips:

Includes links to 3rd party/crowd-sourced tips?

Manual Testing Tips:

Includes links to 3rd party/crowd-sourced tips?

Testing with Users:

Is this duplication of User Testing in Designer tab or different?

Evaluating and Scoring:

• "Edit for Clear Language"
• Definitions for Term and Abbreviations (TBD)