Contents

1. 1. Introduction
   1. Purpose of the manual
   2. Rights of clients and participants
   3. Responsibilities of administrative tribunals
2. 2. Literacy in Canada
   1. What is literacy?
   2. How is it measured?
   3. How literate are Canadians?
   4. What are the costs of low literacy?
   5. What is legal literacy?
   6. What can be done?
3. 3. Plain Language
   1. What is plain language?
   2. Why use it?
   3. Who uses it?
   4. Where should it be used?
   5. Any arguments against plain language?
   6. How to find out more about plain language
4. 4. Developing and Implementing a Literacy Program
   1. Getting started
   2. Six steps
   3. Goals for the program
   4. Step 1. Organization audit
   5. Step 2. Client/participant literacy audit
   6. Step 3. Planning the literacy program
   7. Step 4. Communications
   8. Step 5. Training
   9. Step 6. Evaluation and maintenance of the program
5. 5. Conclusion
6. Appendix A. Case law
7. Appendix B. Resources