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We’re coming to the end of 2025, a busy and dynamic year for Easy Read Online! Here are some of the highlights of our 2025. Easy Read standards We have been collaborating with several other Easy Read producers to formalise some industry standards for the creation of Easy Read. At the moment, there is a wide variation in what an ‘Easy Read’ document can look like. The national Easy Read standards should help to make Easy Read a more uniform format, which both end users and commissioners know will be effective and high quality. The standards are currently being trialled by different Easy Read producers, and we are expecting the standards to be finalised in early 2026. Watch this space! Easy Read Online apprenticeship In September, we began partnering with Manchester Metropolitan University to support our apprentice, Presley, on a degree apprenticeship. Over the next three years, he will study part-time while working with Easy Read Online on digital accessibility. Presley tells us a bit about how the apprenticeship is going so far: I’m currently doing a Digital and Technology Solutions degree apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I spend one day a week learning about coding, upcoming digital technologies, and how these can be applied in my job. My apprenticeship is going really well – it’s been a positive experience where I’m benefiting from both the learning and the practical aspects. I really enjoy having one day at university, helping to break up the week, and I’m feeling more motivated and supported in my role. I’ve developed coding skills in Java and some theoretical understanding of digital technology in organisations, including things like stakeholder theory and critical writing. At work, alongside my everyday tasks, I’ve recently joined a digital technology working group, and I’m developing a quoting tool. The apprenticeship has massively boosted my confidence in both coding and teamwork, and I’m hoping to build lots more coding and data skills in the future. Feedback from our clients We always value feedback from clients. Here are a few examples of what we heard from our clients this year! We’ve been very happy with the service received from ERO – you produce a high quality product within tight timescales. We find everyone we deal with helpful and professional. - The Department of Justice NI Your team always responded to our comments swiftly and promptly, and produced drafts of high quality. This was no easy task given the technical and complex nature of the document. - Wokingham Borough Council Working with Easy Read Online has been a genuinely positive experience for us. They took great care to understand our values, our voice, and the specific needs of the survivors and supporters of survivors who use our resources.Throughout the process, all changes were made quickly and communicated clearly at every stage, so we knew what to expect next. Most importantly, the Easy Read Online Team helped us adapt our booklets in a way that makes the information easier to follow without losing sensitivity or meaning. We now have additional resources that are accessible, trauma-aware and aligned with our values and purpose. -   National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) Guide on how to share Easy Read documents 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. 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 Feedback from Easy Read users   If you are familiar with our newsletter or our ethos at Easy Read Online, you will know that continuous improvement is at the heart of everything we do. We are always evolving our Easy Read work to better meet the needs of our end users and to give our clients confidence that the accessible information they share is truly fit for purpose. Our latest step forward came this April: we launched a brand new user feedback survey specifically for Easy Read end users. A link to the survey now appears at the beginning of our Easy Read documents, giving readers the opportunity to tell us what they think of our Easy Read. We are excited about the potential of this new feature - it allows us to hear from people we haven’t yet had the chance to co-produce with, and we hope it will lead to even more meaningful improvements in the future. Survey engagement success story An 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 conveyed the message - more effectively than the original letter - that they decided to make it the primary 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. Disability Pride Month Disability Pride Month was in July, and it was an important moment for disabled people to come together as a community. Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to share experiences and start conversations. It’s a celebration of the creativity, resilience, and achievements of disabled people. As part of Disability Pride Month, one of our team members, Becky, wrote a blog about how organisations can become more accessible. You can read it here: https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/post/how-to-make-your-organisation-accessible Expanded service offer Did you know we also help our clients translate Easy Read documents into different languages? Our process starts with creating the Easy Read version in English. From there, we translate the Easy Read text into the requested language, then format it to match the original Easy Read layout before delivering the final version to the client. This approach has proven successful time and again, and we’ve helped translate Easy Read documents into a wide range of languages, including Polish, Farsi, Punjabi, and many more. This year, we have also started to offer two new services: Plain English documents and British Sign Language translations. Plain English provides simplified translations, while being at a more advanced reading level than Easy Read. There are generally no images used in Plain English documents, and there are more sentences on the page. We also work with a British Sign Language translator who can sign the content of a document and produce a recorded video which can then be accessed by the end user! Remember, Easy Read Online can help if you need: Easy Read translations. Plain English translations. Original documents to be made compliant with web accessibility standards. Easy Read documents that you’d like to be checked by people with lived experience. Other accessibility features or formats. Get in touch today using our quote form: https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/get-a-quote

For more than a decade, a group of people with learning disabilities at Mencap Liverpool and Sefton have been regularly reviewing examples of our Easy Read documents to check if they are up to scratch. The key to creating high-quality Easy Read documents is working with end-users, so their feedback has played a huge role in shaping our work. Here are some of the things we’ve learned from these sessions. Symbols We often add symbols or icons to an image to emphasise the meaning of part of the sentence. For example, an upward arrow to emphasise that something will ‘improve’, or ‘increase’. But a couple of years ago, some feedback from our user group showed that symbols and icons can be too abstract - an absolute no-go for Easy Read documents! Without extra context, these symbols may be confusing or misleading to some readers. In response to this feedback, we started including text alongside any symbols or icons to give context and make the meaning clearer. For example, if we want to show that something is increasing, we will add an arrow with a small textbox underneath, saying “more”. We found that this small change helped people to understand Easy Read information better. So we’ve been doing it ever since! Adding an Easy Read explainer page Sometimes, feedback from users will prompt us to make bigger changes. While lots of people already know about Easy Read, it’s still unfamiliar to many, including some people with a learning disability or learning difficulty. So, following some feedback from users, we decided to add an Easy Read explainer page at the beginning of all our documents. This page explains what Easy Read is and the features readers will encounter, like bolded words, definitions and links. This extra information can help make Easy Read documents easier to understand, especially for readers who are new to the format. Settling debates While we usually reach a consensus on how to improve Easy Read documents, we occasionally butt heads on which ideas would be best. That’s where the expertise of the user group comes in handy! For example, earlier this year, we discussed speech bubbles in Easy Read images. Should we use circular or oval speech bubbles? Or would it be better to use a more rectangular shape? Or does it even matter to readers? We put this to the test by showing the user group some examples of different speech bubbles and asking which they liked best. Overall, they said they were big fans of speech bubbles in general, but they preferred oval and rectangular speech bubbles over circular ones, which could make the text look a little squashed. Since then, we’ve used circular speech bubbles less often, instead opting for shapes that make text the easiest to read. Putting end-user voices at the heart of our work While many of these changes may seem small, they’ve added up over the years. The real Easy Read experts are people with lived experience, and their points of view are a vital part of what makes Easy Read accessible. If you would like your Easy Read document to be checked by a group of people with learning disabilities, you can ask us for this service as an optional add-on. Doing this can help ensure that your document benefits the end user as much as possible. Contact us  to find out more about our services.

Many people will experience difficulties this winter - so we have created a free Easy Read Guide  to help everyone prepare for the colder months ahead. The Easy Read Winter Guide   provides advice on staying warm & healthy, help with money, and looking out for others. Please download a copy of the Guide and share it, or pass on the link to anyone who will find it helpful. We want the Guide to reach and provide value to as many people as possible ! The Easy Read Winter Guide is a digitally accessible & screen-reader-friendly PDF, so you can publish it on your website and post it on your social media channels (remember to tag @EasyReadOnline in your posts). You can even print off physical copies of the Guide if you prefer.

Easy Read is becoming an increasingly popular accessible format, not only for people with learning disabilities but a much wider audience, such as the 1 in 6 people in the UK with low literacy, older people with cognitive conditions, and people with English as a second language. More organisations than ever before are understanding the importance of producing Easy Read information and the potential value and engagement it brings. For those who have access to good quality Easy Read information, it is clear that it enables them to have more freedom of choice, discover new opportunities and make the most of their lives. But where did it all start? In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a group of people with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom collaborated to make it easier for them to read and understand important information. The group recognised that many documents and pieces of information were written in a way that was difficult for them to understand and hard to access. They wanted to change that. Their efforts resulted in the creation of Easy Read  information. In the 2000s, as part of the drive to support disabled people to be more independent, Easy Read was recognised as a way to make information more accessible to enable people to do more for themselves. Equality Act The Equality Act of 2010 introduced the legal duty for all organisations to provide information in an accessible way. The Act refers to reasonable adjustments, which are changes that organisations should make to enable disabled people to take part like everyone else. Easy Read constitutes a reasonable adjustment as it makes information accessible so that people with learning disabilities can understand the things they need to know, or want to find out about. Accessible Information Standard Following the Equality Act 2010, the Accessible Information Standard was introduced. The Standard requires all health and care services to provide accessible communications for service users. This includes providing Easy Read versions of health and care documents so that people with learning disabilities can access important information. The use of Easy Read information in health and care services can help to reduce health inequalities. International Easy Read The United Nations works to make the whole world more inclusive for disabled people. They have made a promise to reduce the barriers that stop disabled people from taking part. This commitment includes making information more accessible for disabled people, like providing Easy Read documents for people with learning disabilities. Easy Read is used in other countries outside the UK. In some countries, it is called Easy-to-read. Some countries have variations on Easy Read, like Easy English - this uses more simplified text, in sentences of up to 5 or 6 words. In Germany, they have a format called ‘Leichte Sprache’, which translates to easy language. It’s generally text-only (without pictures) and doesn’t go as far as Easy Read to break down information, but it provides a more accessible alternative for people with low literacy. Where next for Easy Read in the UK? There are some exciting milestones for Easy Read in the near future. We have been working with numerous other Easy Read providers to draft the first Easy Read Standards in the UK. These are due to be launched in 2026, so watch this space! The impact of Easy Read in the future will further reduce inequalities so that no one is left behind.

Welcome to our newsletter for autumn 2025. We hope you’re keeping cosy and enjoying the crisp days and crunchy leaves. Remember, Easy Read Online can help if you need: Easy Read translations. Plain English translations. Original documents to be made compliant with web accessibility standards. Easy Read documents that you’d like to be checked by people with lived experience. Other accessibility features or formats. Get in touch today using our quote form: https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/get-a-quote Updating your Easy Read document Does the Easy Read document we previously created for you need to be updated? For instance, yearly strategies that have minor changes. If you have previously commissioned us to produce an Easy Read document for you, we are able to update the document instead of creating the whole document from scratch. This could save your organisation time and budget. Contact us to find out more: quotes@easy-read-online.co.uk Easy Read Online training day We had another successful team training day in October. The team met in Liverpool, where we had training and discussions on various topics, including emerging national standards for the production of Easy Read. The team was interested to hear about the progress of creating the standards and how these could help to regulate Easy Read production across the country. More news about that soon! We also worked on creating a more efficient and joined-up service for clients and heard from members of our team about working and living with ADHD. It was a very interesting day and a great chance to catch up as a team too! Bringing Easy Read to Timor-Leste (East Timor) We are very proud to be working with an organisation in Timor-Leste (East Timor) on creating their first Easy Read document. It will be the first Easy Read document created for people in Timor-Leste! Our illustrator has been working on creating bespoke illustrations for the context of Timor-Leste, which we always aim to do when creating Easy Read documents for specific regions. We are honoured to work with several international organisations, including major players like the UN, to create high-quality Easy Reads for an international audience. Our 4 day week trial is a success As some of our clients will know, we have been trialling a 4 day week for the past year. We are very pleased to say that the trial was a big success both for our employee wellbeing and the efficiency of the company as a whole. We have been able to maintain the same high-quality service for clients and turnaround times have remained consistent with our pre-trial work. Easy Read Online will permanently move to be a 4 day week company. You can read more about this here: https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/post/4-day-week-trial

In November 2024, Easy Read Online joined the 4 day week campaign’s  national pilot. After a successful 12-month trial, we’ve decided to make the 4 day week a permanent part of how we work from October 2025. What we found from our year-long trial is that we can maintain productivity and turnaround times for clients, while boosting staff wellbeing. The 4 day week has been shown to be a positive move for business  in several ways, including retention of staff, reduction of sickness days, and an increase in innovation. The concept of a 4 day week is that employees work for 80% of their contracted time, while continuing to be 100% as productive and keeping 100% of their pay. One of our staff members said: “The move to the 4 day week has meant I have more time to see family and develop my other interests. This has improved my mental health and wellbeing. I start the new working week fully refreshed and focused.” Before the trial, we collectively thought about how we could make this change at Easy Read Online while maintaining the full and consistent service that our clients are used to. We continue to innovate and develop our processes to become more efficient and productive. We have found that a more well-rested and happy workforce works to create even higher standards of Easy Read content for our clients! For our clients, the high-quality and speedy service they are used to will continue. If you are considering converting information into Easy Read, why not ask us for a competitive quote here: https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/get-a-quote

Our calendars are full of awareness days, weeks and campaigns that highlight important issues and encourage people to think differently. For disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, these campaigns are a chance to make sure their voices are heard and that information is accessible to everyone. What is “Awareness”? Awareness is about helping people understand things they may not have experienced themselves. It means talking openly, challenging assumptions, and encouraging others to listen and learn. For people who face barriers, such as those with learning disabilities, awareness helps build understanding, empathy and inclusion. It also reminds us that information should be clear and accessible to everyone. Raising awareness makes it easier for people to be informed, make choices and feel part of society. Using Easy Read  is one practical and effective way to do this, ensuring that everyone can take part in conversations and decisions that affect their lives. How can people raise awareness? Awareness campaigns offer a platform to shine a light on something important, whether that’s a health issue, social concern, ethical topic or environmental cause. These campaigns usually take place on a specific day, week or month and are designed to educate the public and inspire action. By joining in, organisations can help amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard. Simple steps such as sharing resources, hosting events, or creating accessible materials (including Easy Read  versions) can make a big difference. Why awareness campaigns matter Awareness campaigns help draw attention to people and issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. They: Highlight  topics that are invisible or misunderstood, such as accessibility or communication barriers. Encourage conversation , bringing these subjects into schools, workplaces and the media. Inspire action , prompting organisations to review their own practices, develop accessible materials, and commit to meaningful change. Provide resources , such as toolkits or guidelines, often including Easy Read versions, that make participation easier for everyone. Empower communities , giving those most affected the opportunity to share their stories and shape how they are represented. Why awareness is vital for the disabled community For people with disabilities, particularly those who need support with communication, comprehension or processing, awareness isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Without broad public awareness: Information and services are often shared in formats that are inaccessible to people with learning disabilities or cognitive differences. Exclusion becomes normalised, and people are left out of key conversations and decisions. Barriers build up across areas like health, social care, employment, and access to rights and services. When awareness campaigns include a focus on accessible communication, such as Easy Read , they send a clear message: Everyone deserves to understand and everyone deserves to be included. By making accessibility part of awareness, we can ensure that inclusion is not just talked about, but put into practice. How we can help At Easy Read Online , we create Easy Read  materials that make information clear, accessible and inclusive. Whether you’re planning an awareness day, developing campaign resources, or improving your everyday communications, Easy Read  can help ensure everyone can take part and feel represented. Get in touch to find out how we can support your next awareness campaign and help you make inclusion part of every message. Directory and resources Please find a (non-exhaustive) directory of UK and international awareness days related to disability, particularly learning disability, to help you plan your next campaign and get involved. March Neurodiversity Celebration Week Disabled Access Day May Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) June Learning Disability Week July Disability Awareness Day (UK) September International Day of Sign Languages National Inclusion Week October National Disability Employment Awareness Month (UK) Dyslexia Awareness Week November Purple Tuesday, UK day focused on improving accessibility in retail https://purpletuesday.co UK Disability History Month https://ukdhm.org December 3 December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities

ADHD awareness and mythbusting Over the past few years, ADHD awareness has skyrocketed. More people are being diagnosed with this condition than ever before, including many women and girls who were previously overlooked. In 2022, I became part of this statistic. After years of attempting to squeeze myself into a neurotypical mould, I was diagnosed and finally had an explanation for why my brain worked the way it did. But while there is more ADHD awareness now than when I grew up in the noughties, awareness doesn’t always equal understanding. There are still lots of misconceptions about the condition, which can make it harder for people with ADHD to get the support they need. Myth 1: “Everyone is a bit ADHD” ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Symptoms include struggling with focus (inattention), acting without thinking (impulsivity), and hyperactivity. Almost everyone has struggled with 1 of these issues at some point in their lives - especially in childhood! But that doesn’t mean everyone has ADHD. For people with ADHD, these symptoms are ever-present and long-term, seeping into all aspects of our lives. This can make it difficult to function in a world that’s built for neurotypical minds. There are lots of useful online resources available if you want to learn a bit more about ADHD and how it can affect people. If you’re not sure where to start, I’d recommend checking out this ADHD overview video  from popular YouTuber How to ADHD . The NHS website also has some great information about ADHD in children and young people , and ADHD in adults . Myth 2: “ADHD is a trend” I’ve never been much of a trend follower, so it makes me laugh when someone says that ADHD is a fad or just people jumping on a trend. I can understand why some people are sceptical. After all, the recent surge in ADHD diagnoses started happening at the same time as neurodivergence became a hot topic on social media. But it’s important to stress that people aren’t trying to collect disorders for fun. ADHD isn’t a Pokémon - it’s a disability that impacts people’s daily lives. When there is more awareness and acceptance of something, it makes sense that more people will come forward. In the past, children were routinely punished for writing with their left hands. But as attitudes changed, the number of left-handed people in the population grew. That’s not because kids were jumping on the bandwagon; they were just allowed to be themselves. It wasn’t until I heard other people with ADHD sharing their experiences that something finally clicked for me. All my struggles suddenly made sense. If the newfound ADHD awareness hadn’t happened, I might not have sought out a diagnosis. Myth 3: “ADHD affects boys more than girls” Until recently, ADHD wouldn’t cross anyone’s mind unless you were a stereotypical boy bouncing off the classroom walls. But while everyone is different, many girls with ADHD present as less hyperactive and more inattentive than their male classmates. Rather than acting recklessly or impulsively, they may be seen as forgetful, disorganised and prone to daydreaming or interrupting conversations. This means it hasn’t always been easy to recognise ADHD in girls. As a result, lots of us have flown under the radar and entered the wild world of adulthood without any insight into why we were struggling. Many boys also slipped through the cracks - especially if they didn’t fit that hyperactive mould. Myth 4: “People with ADHD are lazy” Let’s get this straight: laziness is not an ADHD trait. People with ADHD might be more likely to make “careless” mistakes or find it harder to motivate themselves - but in most cases, it’s not for lack of trying. When I struggled to study for my A-Levels, teachers thought I just lacked willpower. But getting myself to focus felt like trying to wade through treacle. None of the revision tips and tricks people suggested seemed to work, and the harder I tried, the more burnt out I got. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I finally discovered strategies that fit. Understanding my ADHD meant I could understand myself and accept that my brain is just wired a bit differently. Myth 5: “ADHD is all bad” While issues with focus and hyperactivity can have a profound effect on those with ADHD, there are some traits that I wouldn’t want to give up. I think a lot of my passion and energy comes from my ADHD, and the more invested I am in something, the easier it is to focus on it. I love writing, and accessibility has always been important to me, so a job creating Easy Read resources suits the way my mind works. I’m not the only person with ADHD at Easy Read Online, either. Our lovely designer, Danni, says her ADHD helps her create new illustrations quickly - which is extremely useful when she has a lot on her to-do list! All the people I know with ADHD are passionate, creative people who aren’t afraid to think outside the box. It can be challenging sometimes, but increased ADHD awareness means it’s easier to get the right support and understanding from other people. ADHD and Easy Read Instead of having large blocks of text for readers to tackle, Easy Read documents relay the most important information in a simple, concise way. So while Easy Read is designed for people with learning disabilities, the accessible format can also make life easier for many neurodivergent folks, including people with ADHD or dyslexia. If you’d like to make your information more accessible for everyone, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us  to find out more.

Whether you’re asking for public feedback on a proposal or sharing information with your audience, it’s important to include disabled people and make your work accessible. Inclusion and accessibility aren’t just “disability issues.” Disabled people are part of every community, and their voices should be heard on every issue. When we plan and design with accessibility in mind, it benefits everyone  - not just disabled people. Disabled people are part of every community Nearly 1 in 4 people in the UK  are disabled. This means every issue, whether about health, housing, transport, education, or local services, also affects disabled people. Disabled women deserve to have a say in women’s healthcare. Disabled carers should be able to access information about support in formats they can use. Disabled people in rural areas should be consulted about changes to public transport. At Easy Read Online, we’ve worked on resources and surveys across a wide range of topics, from transport and housing to healthcare guides. Disabled people’s input is always relevant. Understanding and overcoming barriers Disabled people often face more barriers than non-disabled people. That’s why their perspectives are vital in planning services, policies, and projects. By listening to disabled people, we discover solutions and ideas that others may not think of - making services stronger and more effective for everyone. Changes that help everyone When accessibility is built in for disabled people, others benefit too. For example, drop curbs on pavements help wheelchair users, but also parents with prams and travellers with suitcases. Easy Read resources help people with learning disabilities, but they also help anyone who wants access to important information in a way that is clear and easy to understand. Accessibility creates better, fairer systems for all of us. A fairer world Everyone deserves to have a say in the issues that affect their lives. By ensuring disabled people are included in decision-making and communication, we move closer to a fairer society that values everyone’s voice. What can you do now? If you want more disabled people to take part in your work, think about the different ways people need to communicate and access information: Use accessible formats like Easy Read, Large Print or Braille. Make sure websites and downloadable content meet web-accessibility guidelines, like WCAG . Add clear subtitles to videos. Provide sign language interpretation at public events. Offer information in other languages and/or Plain English. Give people options for contacting you, like email, phone, text, text-relay, or video call. Making your work inclusive is a team effort, and we’re here to help. By transforming your information into Easy Read, we can make it easier for people with learning disabilities to take part and have their say. Get in touch with our Easy Read Online team to find out more.

In 2019, the United Nations shared its Disability Inclusion Strategy. The strategy is a plan to make the United Nations inclusive and accessible to disabled people. The strategy is built on the idea that including disabled people is not optional but essential for making sure that all people get their human rights met. The United Nations’ Disability Inclusion Strategy sets out organisation-wide goals for inclusion, from making sure disabled people are represented in leadership roles to checking that the information the United Nations writes is accessible to all. The United Nations checks how well its strategy is working every year to make sure that its inclusivity of disabled people is improving. This places responsibility directly on organisations and countries within the United Nations to incorporate disability inclusion across all their activities. Why the United Nations’ Disability Inclusion Strategy needs to be accessible The United Nations shares its disability inclusion progress with the public every year in an annual report. But if the reports and progress updates are only available in long and hard documents, then a large number of disabled people are automatically excluded from understanding or engaging with them. That’s why Easy Read matters. Easy Read uses simple words, short sentences, and images to explain difficult ideas. It was designed so that people with learning disabilities can understand important information. But it’s not only for them – Easy Read benefits: People who speak English as a second language. People who have tiredness or exhaustion that affects the way they take in information. Anyone who prefers information in plain, visual formats. When the United Nations’ Disability Inclusion Strategy annual reports are translated into Easy Read, it means: Disabled people can engage with a strategy that directly affects their rights. Disabled people can form their own opinions about progress, not just rely on someone else to interpret the report. Disabled people can hold organisations and countries within the United Nations to their commitments, because they have direct access to the plans that have been made. Disabled people can celebrate progress, but also demand more if inclusion is happening too slowly. The United Nations is bringing inclusion to life. It is fulfilling one of its promises to write information that is accessible to all. Our role in translating the United Nations’ Disability Inclusion Strategy annual reports into Easy Read Each year, Easy Read Online has been commissioned by the United Nations to translate the annual reports into Easy Read, and we involve people with learning disabilities in this process. We are honoured to do this because for us accessibility isn’t just a tick-box exercise, it’s about practising “nothing about us without us.” By making Easy Read versions available, we help the United Nations achieve the change it calls for. You can check out some of the Easy Read annual reports here: 2022 2023

A guide to commissioning and sharing Easy Read versions of your organisation’s information. What is accessible information? Accessible information means information that people can read, understand and use. This type of information is especially important for people who find it harder to read or understand standard information. This could be because of a disability, sensory loss, or another communication need. Some common types of accessible information, also known as accessible formats, are: Large print Braille Easy Read British Sign Language Audio recordings Most people have heard of these accessible formats, but Easy Read is not as well known. What is Easy Read? Easy Read turns complex information into something that is easier to understand. It uses: Short, simple sentences Clear, everyday words Pictures that help explain the text Easy Read is often used by people with a learning disability. But at Easy Read Online, we have found that many other people find it useful too. For example: People who speak English as a second language Neurodivergent, like autistic people People with low literacy Older people with memory problems The general public, especially when information is complex or full of jargon Easy Read can help make sure everyone understands the information that matters to them. Why should your organisation create accessible information? There are 3 important reasons: To include everyone.  People with learning disabilities have the right to understand information and be part of decisions that affect them. To close the information gap.  Without accessible information, some people are left out, confused, or misinformed. It’s the law.  The Equality Act 2010 says you must make reasonable adjustments to your services. This includes providing accessible information. If you don’t, it may count as discrimination. There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK, and 1 in 6 adults with low literacy. Many rely on public services every day, but often struggle to get the information they need. One of our clients told us that in a recent consultation, 11% of all responses came from people who used the Easy Read version. This included: People with learning disabilities People with English as a second language Neurodivergent people People with low literacy Older people with dementia General members of the public A huge number of service users would have been excluded if the organisation had not provided an Easy Read version. How can your organisation create Easy Read information? Some organisations try to make Easy Read documents themselves. But this can be hard because of: Not enough time  – deadlines can be tight. Busy staff  – staff may not have the time or skills to do it well. Lack of tools  – Easy Read often needs special images and software. No lived experience  – it’s best to work directly with people who have learning disabilities to make sure your Easy Read is clear and useful. Instead, you can hire a specialist Easy Read company. But how do you choose a good one? Here are some questions to ask: Do they work with people with learning disabilities to check the work? Can they produce different types of Easy Read materials? Can they show examples of their previous work? Do other organisations recommend them? Do they understand the needs and rights of people with learning disabilities? Are they active in the accessibility or inclusion community? How can you share your Easy Read documents? If you’ve taken the time to create an Easy Read version of your information, make sure people can find and use it! Here are some tips: Train your team Make sure all staff know what Easy Read is and where to find it. Staff should feel confident sharing Easy Read versions when asked. Use social media Announce when you’ve created an Easy Read document. If you worked with a specialist company, say so; it builds trust. Put it online clearly Add a link to the Easy Read version near the top of your web page. Use an Easy Read symbol to make it stand out, like this one! Include it in printed materials Put the Easy Read version next to the standard one. The more visible, the better. Tell people directly Contact local self-advocacy or learning disability groups. Email them a link to the Easy Read document, call them, or post a printed copy. Mention it in your main document At the front of your standard document, include a note like: “For an Easy Read version of this document, visit (link) or contact us on (phone/email).” How can Easy Read Online help? We are a team that specialises in making Easy Read information. We have created 1000s of Easy Read documents for councils, charities, the NHS, government departments, housing associations, arts and culture services, international organisations, and more. We can produce Easy Read in many formats: PDFs (print-ready and accessible versions) Interactive documents with fillable fields and tick boxes Word documents Audio or video Printed booklets Text-only and image-only versions for websites or online surveys PowerPoint presentations Translations into other languages We work closely with people with learning disabilities. For example, our local Mencap group checks many of our documents and gives feedback, helping us improve. We also offer a checking service . If you’ve made your own Easy Read document, we can review it and help you make it clearer and more accessible. To learn more about our services click here . Sources NHS England. Accessible Information: Implementation plan. 2015. https://www . england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ access-info-imp-plan.pdf Mencap. How common is learning disability in the UK? 2025. https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/how-common-learning-disability Department of Health. Making written information easier to understand for people with learning disabilities. 2010. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20130812104657/http:/odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/iod/easy-read-guidance.pdf Disability Justice Project. Accessible information and communication discrimination guide. 2025. https://www.disabilityjustice.org.uk/learn-more-and-take-action/accessible-information-and-communication-discrimination-guide/#law

Easy Read is about making information clear and accessible for as many people as possible. To do that, we need to understand how people’s experiences shape how they see the world, and how the world sees them. That’s where intersectionality comes in. It helps us think about the different identities a person might have, and how those identities affect their needs, experiences, and how they’re represented. In this blog, we’ll explore intersectionality and how it helps us to create more inclusive and effective Easy Read documents. What is intersectionality? Intersectionality is about how the different parts of a person’s identity work together to shape their experiences. Things like your gender, race, sexuality, religion, disability and income can affect you in different ways. Intersectionality recognises that every person has a unique identity that affects how they live and understand the world. For example, a disabled woman from a wealthy family may face ableism and sexism at the same time. Because of this, she may experience the world in a different way from non-disabled women or disabled men. Meanwhile, her wealth won’t cancel out her other identities, but it would likely make it easier to deal with the extra costs of being disabled. Intersectionality in Easy Read Intersectionality and images The main purpose of images in Easy Read is to help people understand the text better. These images often include people in different poses and situations, from giving the thumbs up to playing a musical instrument. This means we also have a great opportunity to show people from all walks of life. Most Easy Read users are people with learning disabilities, so we always make sure that this demographic is well represented in our work. However, it’s not enough to stop there. When we’re creating Easy Read documents, we think about the people who might read them, and how to represent those people. Some readers may have more than one disability, or their disability may be invisible. Disabled people exist in every community, so it’s important to show people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. We also think about what the document is about. If we need to create a report about people in Nepal, we’ll focus on using images of Nepalese people where possible. If we’re doing an Easy Read guide for elderly people, we’ll veer away from images of children or younger adults. Asking these questions and thinking about intersectionality helps us to create accessible documents that showcase diversity. Intersectionality and language As Easy Read writers, it’s our job to use the right language for difficult topics without overloading the reader with too much information. However, the language around intersectionality and identity can be hard to simplify. If one of our writers is struggling to write a definition for a word in a document, or we think a definition needs updating, we’ll ask other team members for advice. Listening to different perspectives and ideas can help us represent ideas and identities in a better way. The way we talk about issues and identities is always evolving, so the way we write about them in Easy Read documents has to evolve along with them. This is where listening to experts comes in handy! We often work with people from different organisations, services and charities that specialise in supporting disabled people, as well as Easy Read experts from our local MenCap group. Listening to their ideas can help us understand what works well and what we need to tweak. Examples of our work If you want a better idea of the work we’ve done in the past, you can check out our projects page . Or if you want to take a closer look at our illustrations, our Instagram page has some examples of how we represent people from different backgrounds in our images.