Crafting Your Message

Use Plain Language.  Plain language is language that is easy for almost everyone to understand. Rules for plain language include writing at as low of a literacy level as possible, writing in short sentences, and avoiding jargon and technical terminology. These features also help translators create accurate translations because grammatical rules vary from language to language. 

Use a readability checker or plain language editing app to simplify your writing. These apps can help you measure the reading level required to understand your writing and make adjustments to make  your writing more accessible.  - which ensures your message will be clear to the largest number of families. When you need to teach families specialized or legal terminology, provide a glossary with translations and concise definitions.

Use thoughtfully-selected, high quality images and graphics.  The advice, "a picture is worth a thousand words" captures the idea that when we look at a photograph or image we are able to interpret a great deal of information without needing to tap into the many complicated neurological processes required for reading. In other words, images are a more efficient means of communication than written words. 

Use Icons to provide consistent visual prompts and reminders. Icons are simple visual representations that can help people organize information. Returning to the same icon throughout a document or website creates a shortcut for the eye. For example, you can add a consistent icon to all forms that you want parents to sign and return to the school. This small visual prompt tells the parent or caregiver that action is required. 

Avoid visual clutter and chaos. Visual clutter makes it difficult for the eye to hone in on the information that is most important. Simple ways to reduce clutter are to use consistent fonts and simple graphics that follow a consistent art style. If the services of a professional graphic designer aren't available for you, look for templates online. Stick to the spacing, size, and font suggestions chosen for the design to ensure your document will remain clean, organized, and visually appealing. 

Choose common, sans serif fonts. Sans Serif fonts easier to read for people with dyslexia or visual impairment. Using tried-and-true fonts will also ensure that documents that you email or post online will look the same if someone downloads them to their own computer, which may not have fancier or newer fonts installed. Good choices include Arial, Calibri, Century Gothic, Helvetica, Open Sans, Tahoma, Verdana, and Comic Sans.

Do not use "all caps" for information that will be posted online. When posting information online, screen readers will read words written with all capital letters as if they are acronyms. That is, they will speak each letter rather than reading the words. 

Create a visual hierarchy of information. Websites and most word processing programs can use "cascading style sheets" to create consistent differences between the Title, headers, and body text in your documents. Screen readers for the blind also use these style sheets to understand how to read information and support navigation through a page. In the same way, when a sighted reader sees larger, bolder text at the top of a page, they know that this is the Title, and that all of the information below the title will relate to that main idea. 

Use color to support understanding and add interest.  Use a consistent "palette" of colors in your documents and electronic communications so that families will immediately recognize information that comes from you. If you have the ability to review the colors you use, work with families of diverse cultural backgrounds to learn about whether certain colors have specific symbolic meaning. 

Don't use color alone to add emphasis or contrast. Some people can't see the difference between certain colors, so it's important to use color in combination with other visual differences that add contrast or help people understand how information is organized. For example, this website uses bolding as well as the color blue to emphasize certain points. 

Check color contrast. It's pretty common for graphic designers to choose colors based on appearance, without checking to see whether there is enough contrast between the text color and the background color. Use a color contrast checker to make sure your materials will be readable. 

If you will be printing in black and white, choose high-contrast graphics. You might consider using a consistent, light color of paper for events that you hope families will attend - and printing other documents onto white paper. While the majority of families will likely be able to access the internet, printed materials still work best for some families. Don't leave anyone out!