Good Practice Guidelines for
Making Information
Accessible for People with
learning disabilities
February 2013
Produced by Dudley Speech and Language
Therapy Service for Adults with Learning
Disabilities, Ridge Hill Centre (01384) 323080
This leaflet is about how to make information
accessible for people with learning disabilities.
There are 4 key steps to make written
information accessible:
1. Think
about your audience and
decide on your key message.
2. Plan and design your document.
3. Use easy words and sentences.
4. Use pictures to support your
writing.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 1 – Think about your audience and decide on your
key message
Who are your target audience?
Design your document to suit their level of
understanding and experience of the subject.
Decide on your key message.
Take out irrelevant information and
unnecessary detail. Keep your document as
simple as you can.
Make sure the resulting document has not lost
its meaning and does not end up being
patronising or child like.
Step 2 – Plan and design your document
Do a draft on paper first. This will help you to
think about the layout of the document. If it is a
leaflet, use a booklet format rather than
columns.
Choose a dark print on a yellow or white
background if possible.
Do not use light lettering on a dark
background.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 2 - Plan and design your document continued
• Documents should be at least A5 size.
• Use one or two pictures to support each
section of text.
• Always place pictures on the left and text
on the right.
• Using tables can help to keep this
structure.
• Use plenty of white space.
Use a plain, clear font, like
•
•
•
•
Century Gothic
Arial
Comic Sans
MS Reference Sans Serif
Font size should be at least size 16. Size 20 is
recommended for people with visual
impairments.
Use bold and larger
and headings.
type for emphasis
These things change the shape of a word so:
• Avoid italics and underlining.
• Avoid BLOCK CAPITALS.
• Do not put words into (brackets).
• Avoid complicated punctuation, like
exclamation marks! and “speech marks.”
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 2 - Plan and design your document continued
Useful tools:
• Use bullet points – to separate points.
• Numbered points – use only when people
need to follow a set sequence.
• Use clock faces instead of 24 hour clock.
• Write numbers in figures, e.g. 25 instead
of ‘twenty five.’
• Write dates out in full, e.g. Saturday 30th
July 2011
Avoid complicated graphics, like:
• Maps
• Charts
• ‘Animations’
• Special effects
• Colours and patterns
Step 3 – Use easy words and sentences
Use easy, everyday words that we use all the
time.
Try using synonyms on your computer, a word
bank website or thesaurus for simpler versions
of words.
Use the
same
word
Use
the
same
word
Be consistent in the words that you use. Use
the same words to mean the same things
throughout the document.
Keep your sentences short. Use 15 words or
less in each sentence.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 3 – Use easy words and sentences continued
Do not use idioms, metaphors or
colloquialisms. Most people will find these
confusing and many will take them literally.
E.g. “Pull your socks up.”
“He cried like a baby.”
“All around the Wrekin.”
Less is more. Your information will be more
effective if people do not have to read a lot to
find out what they need to know.
Use simple grammar by using the active not
passive form.
For example, “the nurse will give you an
injection” instead of “the injection will be given
to you by the nurse.”
Try not to use:
• Negative terms – Phrase things positively
where possible. For example, “You will be
seen quickly” instead of, “you will not have
to wait long.”
• Contracted negative terms like “n’t” – If you
have to use a negative, always write it out in
full like “not, do not, should not, have not.”
• Pronouns – He, she, they, them, us. Use
peoples’ names or job titles to avoid
confusion over who is who in your
document, e.g. “Jackie went to see the
doctor. The doctor gave Jackie some pills.
The doctor told Jackie to take the pills every
day”.
• Abbreviations – You would need to explain
what these stand for each time you use
them.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 4 – Use pictures to support your writing
Only use pictures that help to support the
meaning of the text. Put a picture next to every
main idea. You do not need a picture for every
word or every sentence.
text
text
Keep pictures on the left of the document, and
the text on the right. Again, using a table will
help to structure the document.
Pictures can be drawings, photographs,
symbols or other images. Look for the simplest
picture that conveys the meaning.
If you are taking a photograph of somebody,
ensure you seek their permission to take the
photograph and to use it in the way you want
to use it.
Make sure it is easy to tell what the pictures
are. Any colours/shading used should be
contrastive and add to meaning rather than
distract from it.
Avoid using stylised drawings and cartoons
with exaggerated features. If using clip art,
select pictures that are simple and clear.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Step 4 – Use pictures to support your writing continued
Ensure that any pictures used are not
childish.
Try looking at your document without reading
the text – Do the pictures really convey the
meaning?
Use the same pictures to represent the same
things in your document.
There are lots of different types of pictures
available. There are lots of packages that you
can buy for your computer and some that are
available for free.
You might need help to decide what type of
picture to use or where to find pictures.
Please contact the Speech and Language
Therapy team for advice. We have a
document which compares the different
pictures available and tells you where to find
them. We would be happy to send you a
copy.
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk
Ask people what they think
Ask colleagues and people with learning
disabilities what they think of your information
and if you should make any changes.
Support the person to make sense of the information
If you have made your information for an
individual, support them to read and make
sense of it. This will help the person to
remember what it means if they look at it later.
Contact us
If you need help or advice, please get in touch
with us.
The Speech and Language Therapy for Adults
with Learning Disabilities
Learning Disability Specialist Health Services
The Ridge Hill Centre
Brierley Hill Road
Stourbridge
DY8 5ST
Telephone 01384 323080
Fax 01384 361254
Pictures used are from CHANGE www.changepeople.co.uk