Academic content can often be overwhelming—filled with jargon, long sentences, and unfamiliar vocabulary. This creates barriers for:
Students with learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD)
English Language Learners (ELLs)
First-generation college students
Students with cognitive processing challenges
Plain language removes those barriers by making content clear, direct, and easy to understand—without dumbing it down. AI tools can help simplify complex text using plain language strategies like chunking, summarizing, and rephrasing.
📌 Prompt:
Please rewrite the following paragraph in plain language suitable for college students reading at a 9th-grade level. Keep the meaning intact but simplify vocabulary, shorten sentences, and break it into chunks if needed:
[Insert complex paragraph or instructions here]
Original Text:
Students with executive functioning disorders may experience difficulty initiating academic tasks, organizing materials, and sustaining attention throughout complex, multi-step assignments.
ChatGPT Output:
Some students struggle with starting schoolwork, keeping their materials organized, and staying focused when assignments have many steps.
NotebookLM Summary (for full document):
Executive function affects focus and task management
Struggles can include organizing, planning, and time management
These challenges impact academic success
ChatGPT
Great for rewriting paragraphs, instructions, or lecture notes in simpler language
chat.openai.com
NotebookLM
Google tool that extracts summaries and key points from uploaded content
notebooklm.google
QuillBot / Paraphrase.io
Paraphrase complex academic text into more readable formats
Chunker AI, TLDR, SMMRY, Scite Assistant
Simplify and summarize large academic texts into key ideas
Tell the AI who the audience is: college students, English learners, or students with ADHD
Ask for bullet points or headings to improve clarity
If needed, run the AI output through a readability checker like Hemingway Editor
Review and tweak the output to ensure it’s accurate and preserves academic meaning
Copy a complex paragraph from your syllabus, assignment, or reading.
Paste it into ChatGPT or QuillBot with a prompt asking to rewrite in plain language.
Read both versions side by side. Which one better supports students with learning barriers?
If you're unsure how to test reading order, or encounter issues, contact Instructional Accessibility Designer Terisa O'Dowd for support:
todowd1@twu.edu