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Conveying Information Through Writing

Overview

Documents and other publications need to be developed with a number of considerations depending on their intended audience. The best solutions to providing access are to apply the principles of universal design. By designing text, using specific color methods, and clear language, you improve communication, orientation, and safety for many people. These principles apply to web and print design.

How Written Words Should Appear

LightHouse International has created two publications that explain and demonstrate principles of using Color and Text when creating brochures and other materials in print or on the web: Effective Color Contrast: Designing for People with Partial Sight and Color Deficiencies and Making Text Legible:Designing for People with Partial Sight . Even though the guidance was specifically developed for people who have partial sight, the principles are universal to making clear eye-catching information for everyone.

Writing in Clear Language

Clear Language or plain language is a movement that promotes writing that is easily understandable by most people. This is accomplished by avoiding jargon and unnecessarily complicated language. It is not writing down to someone but writing in a way that presents concepts in a way that is easily accessible to all readers. Having clear documents will make understanding more accessible to a range of people from people whose native language is not English to people who have learning disabilities or limited literacy. Writing in plain language without use of acronyms, jargon, slang, metaphors, and irony is important for many people

who do not speak English as a first language,
who are under a lot of stress,
who have poor concentration or other cognitive limitations due to head injury, fatigue, medication side effects, disease, mental retardation, autism, among other conditions.

MENCAP’s Make It Clear Guidelines show providers how to improve communications for everyone. These guidelines are naturally universal in scope – they benefit anyone having limited attention, distractibility, memory difficulty, low literacy, or that do not speak English as a first language. The guidelines were developed with people who have developmental disabilities (called “learning disabilities” in the UK).

Ordering of Information

Recognizing the hierarchy of importance of information is important to providing clear, easy-to-digest information. Trying to give people as much information as one can, as if all of it is of equal importance, will defeat the purpose of transferring information. Information design attends to details that increase information absorbability.

Instructions and Signage

When providers use other organizations’ buildings for community meetings, prevention workshops, or support groups, providers should investigate the paths of travel in the building to the meeting space, to restrooms, and to drinking fountains. If anything is not clearly marked, post temporary signs with a piece of tape to help guide people.
In shelter areas with storage, like art rooms and kitchens, assist people’s memory with cues for locations of items by using color-coded labels and text labels.
Post instructions on or next to equipment like microwaves. Use corresponding machine symbols with the text.
Post instructions for clean-up in large fonts, with numbers, simple language and with graphics if possible. Picture-diagrams with arrows are useful if decisions affect which steps to take.

Displaying Information

Post brochures to be within accessible reach ranges (no higher than 48 inches for a direct approach and 54 inches for a side approach).
Post notices on walls within 'a comfortable viewing zone'.¹

A Comfortable Viewing Zone (courtesy of Adaptive Environments)
Sighted people can read 5/8" height text with good color contrast from 6 feet away centered at 54" height. If there are multiple pages and memos, then consider that from a 19" viewing distance, a viewing range of 48" to 67" above the floor can work for most people. See the diagram "A Comfortable Viewing Zone".
Providers should provide seating in long hallways, especially in places like schools where distances between events and facilities can be large.
Providers should understand distances by foot for traveling to programs that are offered. In general, urban areas do not have sufficient benches that would make it possible for someone with a cane or walker to travel further by foot. Providers should know the details of locations in order that participants can make informed decisions when they inquire about the exact nature of available access.

Providing Alternative Formats

Sometimes alternative solutions are necessary. When providing direct information to an individual it will be helpful if materials in appropriate formats are already prepared and available on frequently addressed topics. This will go a long way toward making a person who needs an information accommodation to feel welcome. It is always easier to develop such materials in advance of the need. The person who is doing the intake should also be familiar with the material in the handouts so that they can assist in explaining if requested. Alternate formats include large print, Braille, audio and accessible digital formats. Based on the national experience of the regional ADA Centers in the last five years, digital formats have become the most commonly requested.

Printed formats can include producing a large print version (18 point type). For very small quantities of existing documents it is possible to use a copy machine to produce them by enlarging the copy to 120%. A comprehensive resource with guidance for producing accessible formats is available on the web from The American Council for the Blind .
Many people like digital versions of text that someone can apply a screen enlarger to. For those that learn through auditory methods, digital CDs or audiotapes may be necessary.
Providers need to trust the communication preferences that survivors request are of necessity to the survivor. Most disability is non-apparent. Making all options available gives the woman the choice to make decisions according to her best interests and need. If it is not her expressed preference, reading to a person as a backup takes away self-determination.
Finally, the provider needs to announce that alternative methods are available by marking symbols on information. Disability Access Symbols are available from the Graphic Artists Guild.

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