Easy Read is a way of presenting information so it is easier to understand. It uses short, simple sentences with a picture beside each main idea. In Australia you will often see Easy Read versions of NDIS documents, government consultations, health information and service agreements.
This guide explains what Easy Read is, why it matters for Australian organisations, and how to make it, with examples you can learn from.
Easy Read and Easy English
In Australia you will see two names: Easy Read and Easy English. They describe very similar styles of writing: simple words, short sentences and supporting pictures. Some Australian organisations use one name and some use the other. If a funding body, agency or client asks for one by name, check what they expect before you start.
Who Easy Read is for
Easy Read was developed with and for people with intellectual disability. It also helps:
- people with low literacy
- people with acquired brain injury or dementia
- people whose first language is not English
- people who are stressed, unwell or reading in a hurry
Low literacy is more common than many people think. In the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of adult skills, about 44% of Australians aged 15 to 74 had literacy at Level 2 or below, which means many people find long or complex documents hard to read.
Easy Read does not replace the full version of a document. It sits alongside it, so people can choose the format that works for them.
Why Easy Read matters in Australia
- The Disability Discrimination Act. If people need your information to use your services, it needs to be accessible to people with disability. For some readers, that means Easy Read. Our guide to the Disability Discrimination Act explains more.
- The NDIS. The NDIS Practice Standards expect providers to give participants information in the language, format and terms they are most likely to understand. Easy Read versions of service agreements, rights, consent forms and complaints processes are a common way to do this.
- Government. Australian, state and local governments regularly publish Easy Read versions of strategies, plans and consultations. The Queensland Government, for example, publishes guidance for its agencies on writing Easy Read content.
- Human rights. Australia has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which includes the right to information in accessible formats.
What Easy Read looks like
There is no single official rulebook for Easy Read, but most Australian Easy Read documents share these features:
- one idea per sentence, and most sentences under about 15 words
- everyday words, with no jargon, acronyms or figures of speech
- a picture on the left of each main idea, with the text on the right
- a large, clear font, usually at least 14 point, with plenty of white space
- key words in bold, and no italics, underlining or text in capital letters
- numbers written as digits, such as 3 instead of three
- a word list that explains any hard words that have to stay
- a short document that covers what the reader needs to know or do, not every detail
Easy Read examples
These examples show how standard text changes in Easy Read. The note in brackets describes the picture that would sit beside each sentence.
An NDIS service agreement
A clause about cancelling appointments:
Standard version: “Participants are required to provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of cancellation. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice may incur a fee in accordance with your service agreement.”
Easy Read version:
- Tell us if you cannot come to your appointment. (Picture: a person talking on the phone)
- Tell us at least 1 day before your appointment. (Picture: a calendar with one day circled)
- If you tell us later, you might have to pay. (Picture: Australian money)
A council consultation
An invitation to give feedback:
Standard version: “Council invites community feedback on the draft Open Space Strategy, which will guide the planning and management of parks and reserves over the next ten years. Submissions close 30 June.”
Easy Read version:
- We are making a plan for our parks. (Picture: a family in a park)
- We want to know what you think. (Picture: a person with a speech bubble)
- You can tell us until 30 June. (Picture: a calendar showing 30 June)
Health information
Instructions before a medical test:
Standard version: “Patients must fast for a minimum of 8 hours prior to the procedure. Clear fluids may be consumed up to 2 hours beforehand.”
Easy Read version:
- Do not eat for 8 hours before your test. (Picture: a plate with a cross over it)
- You can drink water until 2 hours before your test. (Picture: a glass of water)
- Ask us if you are not sure. (Picture: a nurse talking to a patient)
Notice what changed. Each sentence has one idea. Long words like “submissions” and “procedure” are replaced with everyday words. The reader is spoken to directly as “you”. And the most important words are in bold, so they stand out.
How to make an Easy Read document, step by step
- Know your reader and your purpose. Decide who the document is for and what they need to know or do after reading it.
- Pick the key messages. Easy Read versions are usually much shorter than the original. Keep what the reader needs, such as their rights, what happens next and how to get help. Leave out background the reader doesn’t need.
- Write the text. Use one idea per sentence, everyday words and active voice. Talk to the reader as “you” and your organisation as “we”.
- Choose the pictures. Match one picture to each main idea, using the same style all the way through.
- Lay it out. Put pictures on the left and text on the right, with large text, bold key words and lots of white space. Keep each page uncluttered.
- Add the extras. Start with a short note saying this is an Easy Read version and who wrote it. Add a word list for hard words, and finish with how to contact you for help.
- Test it with readers. Ask people from your audience to read it and tell you what they understood. Fix anything that confused them.
- Publish it accessibly. Publish it as a web page or an accessible Word document or PDF, with tags, headings and alt text, and link to it clearly from the full version.
Choosing pictures
Pictures in Easy Read are not decoration. Each one helps the reader understand or remember the sentence beside it. Good Easy Read pictures:
- show exactly what the sentence says, not a general idea
- use one style throughout, such as all photos or all drawings
- show people your readers can relate to, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from different cultures, and people with disability
- look Australian where it matters, such as Australian money, homes, streets and services
- are clear and uncluttered, without small details that are hard to see
On a website, each picture also needs short alt text. Our step-by-step guide to alt text explains how.
Easy Read vs plain English
Plain English is clear, simple writing for a general audience. Easy Read goes further. It uses even simpler language, cuts information down to the essentials and adds a picture for every main point. Plain English should be the standard for all your content. Easy Read is an extra version for people who need it.
If your readers are the general public, plain English may be all you need.
Easy Read on websites
Easy Read is often produced as a PDF, but a web page usually works better. It is easier to find, works on phones, and people can zoom in or use a screen reader without problems. If you do publish a PDF, make sure it is properly tagged so screen readers can read it in the right order.
Link to the Easy Read version near the top of the full version, using a clear label such as “Easy Read version”. Don’t hide it at the bottom of the page or in a list of downloads.
Test it with real readers
The best way to know if Easy Read works is to ask the people it is for. Work with people with intellectual disability, for example through local self-advocacy groups, and pay them for their time. Ask them what the document says in their own words. If they can’t explain it back, it needs more work.
Common mistakes
- using pictures as decoration instead of to explain each sentence
- writing in a childish or talking-down tone. Easy Read is for adults and should sound respectful
- cutting out rights, choices or costs that the reader needs to know about
- making the document too long. Easy Read is a summary, not a full rewrite
- using italics, capital letters or fancy fonts that are hard to read
- publishing only an untagged PDF that screen readers can’t read
- skipping testing with people who will use it
Who should offer Easy Read?
Any organisation whose information affects the choices of people with intellectual disability or low literacy should consider it. In Australia that especially includes:
- NDIS providers, for service agreements, rights, consent and complaints
- federal, state and local government, for consultations, plans and public information
- health and community services, for appointments, care and safety information
- not-for-profits and advocacy organisations working with people with disability
Our guide to website accessibility for NDIS providers covers this and other priorities.
Need information in Easy Read?
We write Easy Read versions of your documents and web pages, match a picture to each key idea, and deliver accessible files ready to share. Find out more about our Easy Read service, or contact us for a fixed quote.