How accessible information improves quality of life.

Quality of life is a broad concept, as people will have individual needs dependent on their:

1. level of independence
2. desire for independence; and
3. access to the means to achieve independence.

One resource that is a vital key to independence and social participation is accessible information, a human right protected in Australian state and territory human rights laws.

To understand the importance of accessible information and Easy English, we can think about what kind of information we access day-to-day that people with low literacy may not be able to. What barriers exist, that prevent people with low literacy from independent social participation?

Read about Jess and what she was able to achieve with support.

There are many different types of written information that adults need to be able to understand in order to fully participate in society. For example, today most adults will need to be able to read:

1. a rental agreement
2. a fact sheet on a medical condition
3. a direct debit form; or
4. a position description.

While unemployment is a common issue for people with low literacy, many are capable of performing tasks required in different jobs. For example, it may be one that is rich in manual labour, and only requires a basic level of English literacy. When you make you your job advertisement and position description accessible, you open your business up to a greater variety of potential employees. Research shows that organisations that embrace diversity among employees tend to have happier and more productive employees.

One of our services is to break down the job description, simplify the key points, and present the job description in Easy English, including use of clear and simple images to match each key concept.

Your disability service provider organisation may have a client with an intellectual disability who does not require a full time support worker as they can perform all essential day-to-day tasks themselves. Imagine they want to further improve their independence by moving into their own home. They are eligible for your organisation’s Specialist Disability Accomodation. Before they move in they are given a tenancy agreement to sign but it is complex and they say they do not understand.

Despite the client’s capabilities for independence and a supportive organisation, the complex presentation of the information becomes a barrier preventing them from taking the next step towards a more independent lifestyle. Easy English 4 U can assess your SDA tenancy agreement to create a rental agreement for your client that includes all the legal information in a way they can understand.

We encourage you to do an accessible information standard review of your organisation’s current accessible information approach. Easy English is demonstratably the most accessible format of written information available in Australia. This is due to the readability being much lower than other formats of accessible information, such as Easy Read and plain language.

This short list of examples is certainly not exhaustive, and we are happy to tailor our accessible information services to meet the requirements of your clients. The small act of providing accessible information is a significant step towards inclusion. One which will help people to work and live independently and ultimately improve their quality of life. pport.