Jean:
That is where I come in. Janet asks two or three of us to work with her. We read the papers out loud, a little bit at a time. Some of us cannot read at all. Those people listen. Some, like me, can read well. We talk about what each bit means, and we say when we do not understand. Sometimes Janet has to help us find better words and sometimes we find them ourselves. We all take part. No one is ever put down. We all have to feel safe together or it would be too hard to say when we did not understand something. But we know when we say we do not understand, we help lots of others who do not understand.

After we have worked on the papers, Janet goes over them again and puts in the words we have picked. Sometimes we work on the same paper two or three times before we are all happy with it. It can take a long time.

Many of us have learned to read better while we do this work. Sometimes Janet makes a joke that we have become too good and she will have to fire us! But she doesn't. She finds new translators and we stay on to help them. And I have learned a lot from the things I have worked on.

One of the best parts of the job is getting paid. Other people get paid when they go to work. Often people with developmental disabilities don't. Getting paid is fair. Janet couldn't do this work without us.

It feels good that there is something I can do that is really useful. I like to help others. When people can read more, they can do more for themselves and not be left out.

When I know more, I feel good about myself. People can't push me about.

It is good to work together. We get to be friends with each other. Sometimes we share stories, if we are working on something that makes us mad or upset. Many of us have been hurt and when we work on important things like dating or sexual assault, it reminds us of these times. It is good to talk to each other then.

Janet:
Our work is having a growing effect in Alberta. We do translations for our primary funders, Persons with Developmental Disabilities Boards (PDD), and for other agencies providing services for people with developmental disabilities. There is an awareness developing, slowly about its usefulness, and indeed the necessity for it. Where possible, we teach workshops, so that others can begin a similar process for themselves. Staff at PDD have to learn still about what is worth having translated, and sometimes request lengthy reports which few people would read anyway. But at least they know it's a "good idea."

Our most enthusiastic supporters can be found among non-profit generic organisations which work with marginalised people of all sorts-school drop-outs, people with English as a second language (and that includes many deaf people), those with learning disabilities, living on the streets, or in trouble with the law. There is also a need for plain language for almost anyone who is in crisis (for example, in hospital, or trying to escape an abusive relationship). Poverty and fear are the most effective agents I know of for reducing reading ability and comprehension. The only problem is that the organisations which appreciate it most are often the very ones which can least afford to cover the costs. As you can imagine, doing it properly is not a quick process.