• Accessible information section
  • Involve people section
  • Raise awareness section
  • Other people section
  • Get started section

1. Accessible Information

Words

Think first and foremost about exactly what it is you want to tell people. Most information can be given in simple and straightforward ways.

Here are some things to bear in mind.

  • Use clear, easy words. Simple, short sentences are best.
  • If you have long sentences, you can pull words out to make things clearer for people.
  • Avoid big words, jargon or abbreviations.
  • If you need to use unfamiliar words, explain them afterwards.
  • AVOID USING ALL CAPITALS which are harder to read.
  • If you need to emphasise a word, use bold or make it larger, without overdoing it.
  • Good fonts to use are sans serif or Helvetica based fonts such as Arial.
  • Do not use fancy fonts as they can be hard to read.
  • Whatever you write will be worthless if it's too small! Make sure you print at least font size 12 and if possible much larger. Most people with learning disabilities would prefer a font size of 14–16 pts. Do what you can given the size of your publication.
  • Do not use italics or underline lots of words as this can confuse people.
  • Use left alignment — justified text is too hard to read.
  • Try and keep to one idea per sentence.

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Example

The council is responsible for making decisions about things that affect the local area.

  • If it is a long document, put in a summary at the beginning, saying what it is about.

Example

This information will tell you about registering to vote

To be able to vote, you have to be over 18 and on the electoral register. The electoral register is a list of all the names and addresses of people in the area who can vote.

  • Use bullet points to break up the information.
  • Always start and end a sentence on the same page.
  • Do not break words at the end of a line.
  • Try to break up information using headings.
  • Let each new point have its own paragraph.

Example

General election

A general election is when you can vote for who you want to become your Member of Parliament (MP). MPs work in parliament and make decisions that can affect the whole country.

European election

A European election is when you can vote for who you want to become your Member of the European Parliament (MEP). They work in the European Union.

  • You can include a glossary with your information to explain any 'jargon' words. If your information is online, you can highlight words that people can click on for a definition.
  • Make sure your use of words is consistent through the document. If you talk about a 'job', do not call it 'employment' in the same document.
  • Write numbers as a figure e.g. 3 not 'three'.

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