NLA Discussion: Plain English

[Plnenglish at aol.com]

Dear NLA Colleagues:

I am delighted to see this topic come up on the literacy advocacy and public
policy listserv.  I believe strongly that the adult literacy community should
care about plain English and any initiatives to encourage its use.  I have
worked at the local, state, and national level in adult literacy, ABE, and
with deaf learners for years.  I saw our task as facilitating basic skills
development so these readers could access the information they need.  

Then a life-changing event changed my perspective.  My college-educated father
was diagnosed with leukemia.  We went through the "halls of medicine" as he
was treated with chemo, etc.  (He's doing well now.)  He was so sick, he
couldn't read anything they gave him! I discovered during that time that the
majority of medical and health related materials are too difficult for the
*majority* of the population!!!  
 
As I researched this issue more, I discovered that the majority of *all*
printed materials created for public consumption are not appropriate or
approachable for most of the general public.  The samples we evaluated
included employee handbooks, utility bill inserts, brochures on state
programs, bank statements, job descriptions, juror's handbooks, advertisements
and others. 

The readability level of these materials was far too difficult, the layout and
design were not reader-friendly, and there were many other factors which would
impair comprehension with any reader.  There are several of us in the US
working in this area.  Many of us focus on health materials since that's such
a critical area.  Although, some of my firm's clients come from other fields:
government agencies, power companies, etc.  The movement is growing slowly in
the US. 

I believe any advocacy and policy work we can do in this area would benefit
millions of Americans.  Reader-friendly, plain English materials would benefit
ABE and ESL level folks AND they would greatly benefit the rest of the
population.  No one wants to wade through gobbledygook at graduate school
level even if they can.  We are all busy people! 

The creation of reader-friendly materials and the use of plain English are not
just issues for adults with limited literacy skills.  This is a consumer
rights issue!!!   In England and Australia, the grassroots consumer movement
for plain English has been going strong for 20 years!  We need to catch up!  

Audrey Riffenburgh
President 
Riffenburgh & Associates
Specialists in Plain English and Readability
Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 242-5808
plnenglish at aol.com

<<In a message dated 98-06-02 11:46:13 EDT, David Rosen writes:

 NLA Colleagues,
 
 ...to teach college students to write clearly, simply, and directly, that
this -- the other side of the literacy coin -- might also help to improve
American reading comprehension.  Now, an executive memorandum signed by
President Clinton has instructed all federal agencies to use plain English in
their written communications.  

Is plain English an issue that the adult literacy community cares about?  What
plain English efforts are taking place in North America? Should the adult
literacy community respond to the President's announcement?  If so, how? >>