Of course, these “general readers” are not just a mass of faceless people. But we cannot possibly know them all and cater to every need when we write for newspapers or design a form, so we have invented this general-public reader. Experts have researched for many years to find out who reads what and how easily they do it. The Globe and Mail newspaper’s average reader, for instance, reads at a higher level than the Calgary Sun’s average reader, but both count as part of the general public.

From general reading levels, we can branch out into plain language for more specialized readerships: plain language for engineers, for instance, or lawyers or hospital patients. Though the principles are the same, each group has unique literacy needs.

Low-literacy plain language
Plain language for people who face literacy barriers is language written at a simple reading level. This is the level people are thinking of when they complain about “dumbing down” (one of my least favourite expressions!). Sometimes materials written at lower literacy levels can look rather simple— to people who read with ease. But I have yet to hear a complaint about “dumbing down” from someone who needs materials at that level. This is low-literacy plain language. Writing simpler materials is surely better than leaving many people without information.

When you write for groups you may not belong to (maybe people who are deaf or who have developmental disabilities or who speak English as a second language) it is very important to test your materials with representative readers. You can only guess what they will understand. And if you write materials frequently, it is very likely you have a higher than average reading and comprehension level, which makes it even harder to know what is plain and what is not. It is good to test all documents, but for readers with literacy barriers it is absolutely essential.

These are some of the people who often need easier-to-read materials:

• Many people with developmental disabilities, especially now, as they are more likely to be living independently than in years past, when many would have lived in institutions or large group homes.
• People with learning disabilities often struggle with written text.
• So do some people with mental illnesses.
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing sometimes need fairly simple materials. American Sign Language does not correspond exactly to written language, so learning to read is learning a second language.
• People whose first language is not English may need, at least for a while, easy-to-read materials.
• The age of the reader has an effect on literacy. Older readers often left school at a younger age than is normal now. Seniors also tend to have poorer eyesight, which can affect how much they read.