Easy-to-read communication with intellectually disabled people. Studying the application of sentences in documents that contain easy-to-read information

The current study focus on easy-to-read communication and the continuous monitoring of its application in order to be as effective as possible. The effectiveness is improved not only by proofreading of easy-to-read documents, but also by studying and refining the rules that form the basis of these documents. After a brief theoretical summary of easy-to-read communication, its rules and the characteristics of sentences used by intellectually disabled people, we study the sentences of four easy-to-read newsletters, called “Europe for Us” and published by Inclusion Europe. In theoretical research Inclusion Europe’s ‘Information for All – European Easy-to-Read Guidelines’ are considered as a starting point. We collect information on the realisation of rules related to sentences as well as the pattern of the application. Reviewing the rule points separately and together, we studied the sentences looking for signs of consistency or inconsistency in compliance with the rules. The analysis of the results made it clear that the publications in the sample made great efforts to comply with the rules, but the deviations were also significant. Based on the results, it is possible to clarify and supplement the rules for creating an easy-to-read sentence.