Re: Notes and Resources on Plain Language

These are great resources to look into, Charles.
By any chance, can we have this as one of posts at Silver community group site,  https://www.w3.org/community/silver/ ?

JaEun Jemma Ku, PhD
Internet Applications Systems Specialist
University library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
424 Library, M/C 522
1408 West Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801
1-217-244-2145
jku@illinois.edu<mailto:jku@illinois.edu>





From: "Hall, Charles (DET-MRM)" <Charles.Hall@mrm-mccann.com>
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 10:57 AM
To: Silver Task Force <public-silver@w3.org>
Subject: Notes and Resources on Plain Language
Resent-From: <public-silver@w3.org>
Resent-Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 10:56 AM

First, the focus of the discussion that emerged during and following the Design Sprint was split between 2 main considerations:

  1.  Regardless of terminology choice between “Plain Language” or “Simple Language”, should we adopt an existing external standard or create one?
     *   Does the fact that the standard already exists lend credibility to Silver and align to its goals?
     *   Is there any licensing or restrictions involved in using the standard?
  2.  Requirements (or guidelines) – likely in the form of a style guide – will need to be defined for explicitly how to write criteria and any supporting ‘understanding’ documents in plain language in EACH supported language.

Here are some resources I have located for consideration when discussing plain language:

W3C Reading Level Understanding SC 3.1.5
https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.w3.org_TR_UNDERSTANDING-2DWCAG20_meaning-2Dsupplements.html&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=utaNDmTXIn5X2MG85k3uJYiInjIakPfvFg0O-PiAb3g&e=>
Cites being ‘adapted from’ the UNESCO standard based on education level.

CRPD Article 2 – Definitions, Plain Language
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-2-definitions.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.un.org_development_desa_disabilities_convention-2Don-2Dthe-2Drights-2Dof-2Dpersons-2Dwith-2Ddisabilities_article-2D2-2Ddefinitions.html&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=6aM_QFx4OhtIEegVz1Q0IC2WpMmBRgVyLbHLQUrJWp8&e=>

U.S. Government Publishing Office, Plain Writing Act of 2010
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ274/content-detail.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.gpo.gov_fdsys_pkg_PLAW-2D111publ274_content-2Ddetail.html&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=XwXRgSITMaRzORyDQtfYaW6peMrxX7P4Wgb8GdK5biY&e=>
Supported by 2 Executive Orders and Office of Management and Budget Guidelines

Federal Plain Language Guidelines (U.S.)
https://www.plainlanguage.gov/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.plainlanguage.gov_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=VFHWuLiSc0E0HyvuZt1dgMShIWBjo54wyyJuitL7COU&e=>

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Plain English Handbook
https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sec.gov_pdf_handbook.pdf&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=e18dzYzfyvOviCf7IpBl110GVy6aVT-2ftF3woExBiI&e=>

European Commission Publications, How to Write Clearly
https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/bb87884e-4cb6-4985-b796-70784ee181ce/language-en<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__publications.europa.eu_en_publication-2Ddetail_-2D_publication_bb87884e-2D4cb6-2D4985-2Db796-2D70784ee181ce_language-2Den&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=_yWdiw8_PNz1s2N4ea6flwMKv_xEgI_-yEe2zfa-6To&e=>

Gov.UK Guidance for Government Digital Publishing and Services
https://www.gov.uk/topic/government-digital-guidance/content-publishing<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.gov.uk_topic_government-2Ddigital-2Dguidance_content-2Dpublishing&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=Z3AynfqIiK7UMiyowR9VgdNhSaya_vVC639s3bIe4gw&e=>

Information for all – European Standards [Lifelong Learning Programme & Inclusion Europe]
http://easy-to-read.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EN_Information_for_all.pdf<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__easy-2Dto-2Dread.eu_wp-2Dcontent_uploads_2014_12_EN-5FInformation-5Ffor-5Fall.pdf&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=s39nscB4mpSvsho2XeM4tm9xTg47a-1lPLWlzhMRuCg&e=> [pdf]

How to Write Standards – ISO (2016)
https://www.iso.org/publication/PUB100335.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.iso.org_publication_PUB100335.html&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=KpoGP4yhj7-FO03NxIOLgYsneCzG4p1aZX64aXp1H_4&e=>
https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/archive/pdf/en/how-to-write-standards.pdf<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.iso.org_files_live_sites_isoorg_files_archive_pdf_en_how-2Dto-2Dwrite-2Dstandards.pdf&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=YDFpgBjAtk0npUdK4qgzEGzZJ_qCTRCughwBfcolDZQ&e=> [pdf]

What Is Plain Language? – Plain Language Association International (PLAIN)
http://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__plainlanguagenetwork.org_plain-2Dlanguage_what-2Dis-2Dplain-2Dlanguage_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=ZPR56ZBLHxRr2EniD0IrMlpMTXbiiehm15iiV_zXpqg&e=>

Plain language: accessibility for information – Whitney Quesenbery (2014) Article
https://rosenfeldmedia.com/a-web-for-everyone/plain-language-accessibility-for-information/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rosenfeldmedia.com_a-2Dweb-2Dfor-2Deveryone_plain-2Dlanguage-2Daccessibility-2Dfor-2Dinformation_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=lkqFeJhuMYzJbHLWuK4luxX1HX0a9kCfSKdepNTwqwg&e=>
Plain language: accessibility for information – Whitney Quesenbery (2016) Slide Deck
https://www.slideshare.net/whitneyq/plain-language-is-accessibility-for-content<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.slideshare.net_whitneyq_plain-2Dlanguage-2Dis-2Daccessibility-2Dfor-2Dcontent&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=Y09YnlY-iSN0ifNUpv4qglkaH4qOiOMLgtrjh06Mlbk&e=>

3.1.5 – Reading Level (Level AAA) – Luke McGrath, WUHCAG (2014)
https://www.wuhcag.com/reading-level/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.wuhcag.com_reading-2Dlevel_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=8ZkJd_oWlAenSfYkPhf2o4BWJCV85DfLqIAujO9L_oU&e=>

Inclusivity, Gestalt Principles, and Plain Language in Document Design – Jennifer Turner and Jessica Schomberg (2016)
http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2016/accessibility/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org_2016_accessibility_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=FZrBWW2fYJjUdGd85Ai1YAM7CLTss40G1hZd3yRluDs&e=>

Plain Legal Language General Resources – Clarity International
http://www.clarity-international.net/plain-language-resources/general-resouces/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.clarity-2Dinternational.net_plain-2Dlanguage-2Dresources_general-2Dresouces_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=3GaWLHpjUW8ijFVC_ECzJI09odukI5mbSqLdDMzumQ0&e=>

Plain Language – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__en.wikipedia.org_wiki_Plain-5Flanguage&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=yjVcABO0bmQdikZtfHi_5TERPIaPg6olu0kiAP5T4o8&e=>


Finally, I would consider this required reading for anyone discussing or working on translating the current WCAG SCs into plain language, since this effort is exactly that:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines—for People Who Haven’t Read Them – Alan Dalton (2017)
https://24ways.org/2017/wcag-for-people-who-havent-read-them/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__24ways.org_2017_wcag-2Dfor-2Dpeople-2Dwho-2Dhavent-2Dread-2Dthem_&d=DwMGaQ&c=OCIEmEwdEq_aNlsP4fF3gFqSN-E3mlr2t9JcDdfOZag&r=rFUXx2e9esgOU_SQf_woJw&m=cXvXxXftyHF28Xvac_ayb-vhBJ2iMvsxJtW8ZEhP-Xs&s=2Rs-Ne_F4unuJZC1gUt43xjfhDjhuCgyFlrX3fAhbt0&e=>


Charles Hall
UX Architect, Technology

t / 248.203.8723  m / 248.225.8179
e / charles.hall@mrm-mccann.com
skype / charles.h.all
360 W Maple, Birmingham MI 48009
w / www.mrm-mccann.com

[id:5D510C5C-1CCD-479C-A466-98D1FC580B9B]
Creativity. Technology. Performance.

This message contains information which may be confidential and privileged. Unless you are the intended recipient (or authorized to receive this message for the intended recipient), you may not use, copy, disseminate or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message.  If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail, and delete the message.  Thank you very much.