June Newsletter
- Meg
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 2
Halfway Through 2025 - See What’s New at Easy Read Online!
We're officially halfway through 2025!
June has been a rewarding and busy month at Easy Read Online, with several exciting projects on the go. One highlight is our brand-new guide on sharing Easy Read documents, which we’re now giving to our clients. Keep reading this newsletter for a sneak peek of what's inside the guide!
Celebrating Learning Disability Week
The month of June hosts the fantastic Learning Disability Week, which this year took place from 16th June to 22nd June. The theme for this year’s Learning Disability Week was ‘Do You See Me’, which aimed to highlight the importance of seeing, hearing, including, and valuing disabled people in all areas of life. In support of Learning Disability Week, we centred our online presence around the theme of ‘visibility’. We wrote two blog posts that discuss the importance of visibility in the lives of disabled people. You can check out the blog posts here:
We also shifted some focus onto how organisations can support the visibility of disabled people using accessible information, and in particular, Easy Read. For help with making your information more inclusive, take a look at our guide to commissioning and sharing Easy Read versions of your organisation's information
One of our team members also took part in a Learning Disability Week event hosted by Mencap Liverpool & Sefton. The event celebrated Mencap’s history and presented some of the projects the Liverpool & Sefton branch is currently working on. Here is what our team member Karen had to say about the experience:
“It was lovely to see some of the members again, and to learn more about the history of the cottage, and to see some of the different projects they've been involved in, like the travel training and work they've been doing at Liverpool John Moores University, where they wrote a sea shanty.”
A success story in Manchester
Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust asked us to create an Easy Read version of a patient letter being sent to those on the waiting list for a hospital operation or procedure. The original letter followed delays caused by COVID and asked patients to confirm whether they wished to remain on the waiting list or be removed, for instance, if they no longer needed the procedure.
The Trust was so impressed with how clearly our Easy Read version communicated the message more effectively than the original letter that they chose to use it as the main version for all patients, not just those with a learning disability.
The result was a record number of patient responses, with many specifically commenting on how easy the letter was to understand. This shows the powerful impact of clear, accessible communication, both in increasing engagement and in making sure that patients who rely on Easy Read information feel recognised and included.
Your organisation’s sharing checklist
In June, we introduced a new resource: a quick guide titled ‘How to Make the Most of Your Easy Read Document’. We now share this with clients once their final Easy Read document is complete.
This initiative came about after multiple clients approached us for advice about how to increase engagement with their Easy Read versions of information. While our full guide to commissioning and sharing Easy Read versions of your organisation's information offers a deeper dive, we’ve also created a practical checklist outlining where and how you can share your Easy Read content:
Make your Easy Read versions of information easy to find, as easy as the main version of your information!
Make sure people are aware that you provide Easy Read versions of your information.
Announce your Easy Read information on your organisation’s social media.
Reach out to local self-advocacy groups and disability groups to promote your Easy Read information.
Train your team so that all staff members feel confident sharing Easy Read versions of information when asked.
