„Using Easy Language has just being started” – Wolgang Wessels about Easy Language for accessible living

„Accessible Living for people with a learning disability“ is a lecture held in German at REHACARE 2009. Wolfgang Wessels of the research institute technology for the Disabled in Volmarstein talks with REHACARE.de about which barriers exist for learning disabled people in their environment and how “Easy Language” can help them.

01/10/2009

REHACARE.de: Mr Wessels, how does the topic accessible living affect people with learning disabilities?
Wolfgang Wessels: More and more people with a learning disability are living in independent living forms. There they encounter many language difficulties - everywhere there are written instructions which are hard to understand - complicated house rules or a lengthy user manuals. Outside their flats there are also too complex application forms in offices and traffic information. When people cannot orient themselves they are consequently not able to take part in social life.

REHACARE.de: And “Easy Language” can help?
Wessels: Yes. It can help to write texts as easy as possible and thus make it easier to understand. By this way affected people can orient themselves and do not have to ask for help all the time.

REHACARE.de: However, Easy Language has not really been regarded as part of accessible living yet.
Wessels: When you are talking about accessible living most people link it with wheelchair drivers or visually impaired people and not so much with learning disabled ones. Using Easy Language has just being started. Moreover you have to write texts in Easy Language in a way that is good to read for non disabled people. If verbalisations get too easy it takes getting used to it.

REHACARE.de: Is there any support how to use Easy Language?
Wessels: There is an EU Directive in the Internet which shows how one can write comprehensively. Furthermore, in Germany you can find some translation agencies for Easy Language.

REHACARE.de: Who do you want to address to with your lecture at REHACARE 2009?
Wessels: People who organise living for people with learning disabilities like for example employees in institutions for assisted living. I want to make them more aware of problems in all-day-life so that they can write instructions in their house comprehensively right from the beginning.

Natascha Mörs
REHACARE.de