• People who have spent years in manual jobs which needed little reading often lose some level of literacy skill. Reading becomes harder when it is not practised.
• People in crisis always have more trouble reading. If you have just been told you have cancer, you will not be reading with your normal fluency.

These are all groups with special needs for plain language. But as well as all these known groups, there is also a need for simpler materials for “average” readers. I’ll talk about literacy figures in the next chapter.

WHY SHOULD WE BOTHER TO USE PLAIN LANGUAGE?

Justice
Most importantly, plain language is about justice. Everyone has the right to understandable information, especially when they will make choices based on it. This is true whether the information is about finances and credit, health, housing, jobs or legal rights. It is as important for readers with literacy barriers to be able to take part fully in society as it is for people who are blind or use a wheelchair. People who are blind need accommodations such as Braille; people who use wheelchairs need ramps; and people who have literacy difficulties need plain language.

Legal documents
Plain language saves us from having to sign papers we cannot make head or tail of. Most of us at some time have had to sign papers which we barely understood, whether they were mortgage papers, rental agreements, insurance applications or warranties. We are supposed to understand these documents before we sign them. Lawyers may tell us what is meant, in the case of legal papers, but we still have only their word—easy to forget and not provable later. It makes people vulnerable and dependent upon whoever explains the document.

Informed consent
This is another kind of legal form, usually covering medical services. Many of us would not agree to the conditions in a consent form if we really understood them. Often we sign them without understanding them because we know we need the medical treatment. But we don’t need to sign without a struggle. If every one of us complained each time we were given a consent form written in gobbledegook, these forms would improve.

Independence
Having plain language increases independence and our control over our own lives. As far as possible, we should not have to depend on others to explain what is written. Even people with limited literacy should have materials which they can read. For instance, people with developmental disabilities need less staff support if they can read the labels and prices when they buy groceries, when they use an ATM, or when they just need to find out when the next bus is due.