What is Easy Read?

What is Easy Read?

Easy Read is a way of making information easy to understand. Different formats may also be called Easy English or simple English.

It uses:

• clear and simple text
• pictures to explain text
• lots of white space.

The goal is to help people understand information independently, with confidence and dignity.

It is not just simplified writing. It is a specific communication approach that supports people to access information that would otherwise be difficult or inaccessible.

Who is it for?

Easy Read is for everyone, but can be particularly helpful for:

• people who use languages other than English, including Auslan
• adults with low levels of literacy
• people with disability
• young people
• older people
• First Nations people.

When should you use Easy Read?

You should consider using it when the information:

• affects people’s rights, choices or responsibilities
• explains services, policies or processes
• involves consent or decision-making
• is complex or unfamiliar
• is required by law or policy to be accessible.

This might be for documents such as:

• reports
• plans
• brochures
• forms
• surveys.

You should also consider using it for internal information within your organisation. By providing more information in Easy Read and other accessible formats internally, you can help create more inclusive organisations and hiring practices.

Why is it important?

Access to information is a human right.

When information is not accessible, people may:

• misunderstand their rights or responsibilities
• be unable to give informed consent
• rely on others to explain information to them
• be excluded from decisions that affect their lives.

It helps remove these barriers by making information clearer and easier to use.

For organisations, Easy Read:

• supports inclusion and participation
• helps meet accessibility and disability obligations
• improves trust and transparency
• reduces the need for individual explanations and support.

How can we help you?

It’s important to know that not all Easy Read is good quality.

Poor-quality can:

• fail to meet accessibility goals
• confuse readers
• misrepresent information
• undermine trust.

Make sure your communications are developed by experienced Easy Read writers and designers, and test your content with real-world users as much as possible.

Find out how we can help you with your Easy Read communications on our services page.

Learn more about how The Information Access Group creates Easy Reads on our Easy Read website.