Talking to producers of Easy Read health information for people with intellectual disability: Production practices, textual features, and imagined audiences

ABSTRACT

Background: Concerns about health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disability (ID) have led to many health information materials being created in an “Easy Read” format. This study aimed to understand the practices involved in making information accessible.

Methods: Individual, pair and group interviews were conducted involving people with and without ID based in non-profit organisations, academic, and health service settings. Thematic analysis addressed the creation of Easy Read health resources, the format and content of the texts, and how producers imagine the texts are received by potential audiences.

Results: Little consensus emerged of the best way to produce Easy Read health information. Lacking systematic feedback, participants described imagined audiences and contexts for their reception.

Conclusions: Production of Easy Read resources has become widespread despite current limited evidence of impact. Interactions between social groups involved in the production process and the wider policy and legislative context contribute to this situation.

KEYWORDS:

• Easy Read
• accessibility practices
• disability
• resource design

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Ben Rampton, Susan Buell, Chris Hatton and Katy Brinkley for their very helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. I would also like to express my appreciation for the thoughtful and considered feedback and advice I received from the two anonymous reviewers of my original submission, as well as for guidance offered by the journal editor.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

Deborah Chinn has been funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) post doctoral fellowship [grant number PDF-2013-06-060]. The article presents independent research funded by NIHR. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. No restrictions on free access to or publication of the research data has been imposed by the funding body.