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Introduction
These guidelines have three main purposes: 1) to describe the nature of and the need for easy-to-read publications; 2) to identify the main target groups for these publications; and 3) to offer suggestions to publishers of easy-to-read materials and those organizations and agencies that serve persons with reading disabilities.
Easy-to-read publications are needed by people with various levels of reading disabilities. To a great extent, the needs of these groups are similar, and it is possible for several countries to cooperate in producing easy-to-read materials. Libraries play a key role in the easy-to-read field.
This publication is the second edition of the Guidelines for Easy-to-Read Materials. Many developments have taken place in the easy-to-read area since the first edition was published in 1997, not only in terms of technical solutions, but also the situation for disabled
persons has chaged. The modern society makes great demands on all and today all citizens
are expected to be well informed and make their own decisions, including persons with disabilities.
A working group from IFLA's Library Services to People with Special Needs (LSN) Section is responsible for the revision of the Guidelines. The working group members are Misako Nomura (Japan), Gyda Skat Nielsen (Denmark), and Bror Tronbacke (Sweden).
We hope that these guidelines will stimulate and contribute to the publication of easyto-read materials around the world and will provide useful information for editorial and outreach work.
1 What is easy-to-read?
There are two slightly different definitions of the term "easy-to-read" One means a linguistic adaptation of a text that makes it easier to read than the average text but which does not
make it easier to comprehend; the other definition means an adaptation that makes both reading and comprehension easier.
The aim of easy-to-read publications is to present clear and easily understood texts appropriate for different age groups. To achieve such a product, the writer/publisher must take into consideration content, language, illustrations, as well as graphic layout.
The need for easy-to-read
Providing easy-to-read materials is a matter of democracy and accessibility.
International studies show that in most countries more than 25 percent of the adult population does not reach the level of literacy or reading skill expected after nine years
of formal education. In several countries, this...