Welcome back to the Easy Read Series, where we have been exploring the Easy Read writing format and its uses. In Part 1, we explained the basics of the Easy Read format. In Part 2, we will talk about some of the benefits of Easy Read.

Easy Read has a range of applications, which means it can also benefit a wide variety of people. The guide we cited from ASAN in Part 1 approaches Easy Read from a disability framework but also emphasizes the ways it can benefit everyone.

Let’s take a closer look at what that means!

The beneficiaries of Easy Read often depend on what is being written into the Easy Read format. People with disabilities can benefit from Easy Read formats for a variety of reasons, from reading comprehension to easier incorporation into working memory or routine. But much like any accommodation, having a disability is not a prerequisite for benefiting. 

Reading comprehension, working memory, and incorporating details into a routine are skills that we all use, and we all may find cases where an easy read version of a text benefits us. In that sense, while it should be recognized as an important tool in service to people with disabilities, it should also be recognized more broadly as a helpful communication and accessibility tool for everyone.

One of the first uses of Easy Read formatting that might come to mind is to help a wider audience of readers comprehend a text that would otherwise be inaccessible. Any individual who can’t make use of the original text but can use the Easy Read version is a clear beneficiary of the format. But it goes a little further than the most obvious use case. 

Think about all the ways we use language. For individuals with limited verbal communication, Easy Read can be a helpful communication shorthand in situations where it is needed. Alternately, some people might find that the simplified language principles of easy read makes it easier to divide tasks into steps and to remember them.

One of the pillars of an equitable society is accessibility. Making sure to whatever extent we can that everyone can have access to all the parts of society that help us live and be included as an equal member. 

Easy Read is a valuable accessibility tool, both for making important publicly available information legible to a wider audience and making essential information quickly and easily comprehensible. In that sense, we benefit from the principles of Easy Read even if we don’t directly make use of Easy Read formatted texts. 

We all benefit from a world where people can more easily access helpful information. We also benefit from a world where we can quickly and easily comprehend crucial information at the time we need it. Easy Read helps us do both!

When talking about the benefits of Easy Read, we want to be clear that our goal is in identifying situations where Easy Read would be most beneficial or having an Easy Read version would help information reach a wider audience. That is not to say that every text can be reliably turned into an Easy Read version, or that Easy Read should replace more complex writing by default. 

We can use Easy Read as another tool in our toolbelt and look out for situations where a simpler text would help everyone, or an Easy Read version would help information reach a wider audience.

We hope that Part 2 has helped offer some more perspective on the ways that the Easy Read format can be both a helpful tool for people with disabilities and a wider accessibility tool that can benefit everyone. IF you would like to share your perspective on Easy Read or suggest another topic, we would love to hear from you! Just drop us a line at hello@autismgrownup.com and stay tuned for Part 3, where we will talk about the applications of Easy Read in the classroom.