Plain Language for Democracy and Citizen Engagement Cathy Basterfield, Access Easy English, Australia Mark Starford, Board Resource Centre, US

1. Plain Language for Democracy and Citizenship
Cathy Basterfield
Access Easy English, Australia
Mark Starford
Board Resource Center, USA

2. Our Presentation
Basic
Rights
Literacy
Data
Case
Stories
Challenges
Strategies
Increased
• Life quality
• Participation
Healthcare
Finances
Engagement

3. Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD)
United Nations Treaty, 2006
Key Principles
•
•
•
•
Equal opportunity
Full participation and inclusion in society
Disability accepted as a part of human diversity
Accessibility (community, information)

4. CRPD Key Articles
Article 9 – Accessibility
• Greater access to community life
• Public information in easy read format and Braille
• Access to technology
• Qualified support to get important information

5. CRPD Key Articles
Article 12 – Equal recognition under the law
• Abuse prevention
• Own or inherit property
• Control financial affairs
• Legal safeguards

6. CRPD Key Articles
Article 29 – Participation in political life
• Voting procedures and facilities accessible
• Materials easy to understand and use
• Secret ballot with support
• Hold office

7. Living the Treaty
Article 9: Access to information and technology
Article 7: Children treated equally
Article 12: Same rights under the law
Article 19: Being part of the community
Article 11: Protection in risky situations
Article 27: Work, equal job rights and pay

8. Who are we talking about?
Australia
Channel 7, Melbourne Australia
June 5, 2013
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/latest/article/-/17489370/adult-illiteracy/
United States
American Illiteracy
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LghnA2XbuU

9. Australia and USA literacy data
2006 and 2013
60
50
40
30
non functional literacy
functional literacy
20
% adults
15-74 yrs.
10
0
Australia
2006
Australia
2013
USA 2006
USA 2013

10. Literacy data from OECD countries
2006
80
70
60
50
40
30
% adults
15-74 yrs
20
10
0
non functional literacy
functional literacy

11. Snapshot

12. Data Reveals
More likely to:
 Live in poverty, underemployed
 Have poor health
 Be involved in the justice system
 Be less engaged in community life

13. Who are we talking about?
People:

Seniors

Diverse cultural backgrounds

Poor educational outcomes

Acquired and lifelong disabilities

Hearing impaired community

Mental and physical illness

14. Who are we talking about?
Also people who are:

Time poor

Stressed

Caregivers

Low comprehension readers

15. About Mary
Crafts & activity groups
Church & activities
U3A lecturer
Age 65
wife, mother,
grandmother
Outer suburban
semi-rural
Mary
Volunteer
Committee
member
Massive stroke
January 2012

16. About Mary
 Vision
 Attention and concentration
 Tiredness
 Reading and understanding
 Medical knowledge and terminology
 Understanding health related costs
 Rehabilitation choices & home modifications
 Initial stroke phase and later needs
 Husband’s lack of medical knowledge, stressed

17. Some written materials

18. Useful

19. Our dream for Mary
New life together
Expectations
and changes
Emergency
information
$$
Financial
information
Information
for husband –
now the carer
Now
&
Later
Leisure access
options
Rehabilitation
choices and
options
New medical
status and
risks
Exercise and
rehab
program

20. About Karen
Supportive
extended family
Age 45
single mother
Lives alone
Support:
4 hours week
Karen
No use of technology
Mild
intellectual
and other
disabilities

21. About Karen
 Limited education
 General knowledge limited to life experience
 Functional reading (bills, simple recipes)
 Limited community connections
 Support required to use government services

22. Karen’s needs - some
Health information
 Preventative and medicines
Government Entitlements

Housing, pension, child support
Employment Resources
Civic participation
 Voting and community engagement
 Leisure activities
 Financial management
 General knowledge

23. Some needs are met
...Medical
Preventative information
Consent forms

24. 0
Some needs are met
...Government
Dad and Partner pay
brochure
But lots of reports......

25. 0
Some needs are met
...Employment
Safety at work

26. 0
Some needs are met
...Civic participation
Victorian Election 2012
Survey
Relationships

27. 0
Some needs are met
...Safety
NSW police safety
fact sheets
Red Cross - International
NSW Police

28. 0
Our dream for Karen
And more
Newspapers &
magazines
Websites
Bills
Now
and
later
Future
planning
- money
Government
information
Rights
& laws

29. About Miguel
High school
Age 32
Single
Activist-Advocate
Miguel
Bilingual
Urban
Lives at home

30. About Miguel





Interested in civil rights and advocacy
Limited literacy in English and Spanish
Mild developmental impairment
Never employed – government entitlements
Family provides care support

31. About Miguel
 Board member - $140 million case management agency
 Chair, peer advocacy council
 Represents over 10,000 peers
 Limited “facilitation” support for positions
 Never received governance training

32. Miguel needs
•
Board meeting structure modified
•
Meeting materials adapted
•
Governance training
•
Qualified “meeting facilitation” support:
before – during - after
A job!
•

33. Some needs are met
FOR FACILITATORS
Training manual
FOR AGENCIES:
Accessible meeting
organization handbook
FOR MIGUEL:
Online governance training
http://www.brcenter.org/BRC_Board_Training/publications.shtml

34. About Jane
Fixed Income
Age 52
Grandmother
Activist-Advocate
Jane
Limited education
Mental health challenges

35. About Jane
 Not employed – government entitlement
 Lives at the poverty level
 Has significant debt - “payday loan” scheme
 Hides personal financial crisis
 Does not understand tax procedures and forms

36. Jane needs
 Understand money and numeracy
 Learn about loans, interest and terms
 Understand “Payday loans”
 Learn about and follow a budget
 Begin future planning
 Competent support staff
 Professional mental health support

37. Some needs being met
Support team –getting trained
Money management
Decision making process
Mental health website
Supports and services

38. Opportunities
Turn to the person beside you
 Think about new policies or practices that can make
accessible information available to people with low
literacy.

39. Opportunities
Think about new policies or practices that
can make accessible information available to
people with low literacy.
Policies
Practices

40. Challenges
Turn to the person beside you
 Think about what are the challenges to developing
documents for people with low literacy.

41. The message
Plain Language for Democracy and Citizenship
 The silent % of those with low literacy
 Social inclusion and participation
 Equal opportunity
 Civic engagement

42. Cathy Basterfield
Access Easy English, Australia
Mark Starford
Board Resource Center, USA