Mark Starford Board Resource Center, USA

Plain Language for Democracy and Citizenship

Cathy Basterfield Access Easy English, Australia

Our Presentation

Basic Rights

Case Stories

Challenges Strategies

Literacy Data

Increased • Life quality • Participation

Healthcare Finances

Engagement

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)

• Greater access to community life

• Public information in easy read format and Braille

• Access to technology

• Qualified support to get important information

Article 9 – Accessibility

CRPD Key Articles

Article 12 – Equal recognition under the law

• Abuse prevention

• Own or inherit property

• Control financial affairs

• Legal safeguards

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

CRPD Key Articles

Living the Treaty

Article 9: Access to information and technology

Article 12: Same rights under the law

Article 11: Protection in risky situations

Article 7: Children treated equally

Article 27: Work, equal job rights and pay

Article 19: Being part of the community

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

Who are we talking about?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Australia 2006

Australia 2013

USA 2006 USA 2013

non functional literacy functional literacy

% adults 15-74 yrs.

Australia and USA literacy data 2006 and 2013

Literacy data from OECD countries 2006

% adults 15-74 yrs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

non functional literacy functional literacy

Snapshot

More likely to:

Live in poverty, underemployed

Have poor health

Be involved in the justice system

Be less engaged in community life

Data Reveals

Who are we talking about?

People: Seniors

Diverse cultural backgrounds

Poor educational outcomes

Acquired and lifelong disabilities

Hearing impaired community

Mental and physical illness

Also people who are:

Time poor

Stressed

Caregivers

Low comprehension readers

Who are we talking about?

About Mary

Crafts & activity groups Church & activities

U3A lecturer

Outer suburban semi-rural

Volunteer Committee member

Massive stroke January 2012

Mary

Age 65 wife, mother, grandmother

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

About Mary

Some written materials

Useful

Our dream for Mary

Now &

Later

$$ Financial information Rehabilitation

choices and options

Emergency information

Exercise and rehab

program

Leisure access options

Information for husband – now the carer

New life together Expectations and changes

New medical status and

risks

About Karen

Lives alone Support:

4 hours week

Karen

Age 45 single mother Supportive

extended family

No use of technology

Mild intellectual and other disabilities

Limited education

General knowledge limited to life experience

Functional reading (bills, simple recipes)

Limited community connections

Support required to use government services

About Karen

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

Karen’s needs - some

Some needs are met ...Medical

Consent forms

Preventative information

0

Some needs are met ...Government

Dad and Partner pay brochure

But lots of reports......

0

Some needs are met ...Employment

Safety at work

0

Some needs are met ...Civic participation

Victorian Election 2012

Survey

Relationships

0

Some needs are met ...Safety

Red Cross - International

NSW police safety fact sheets

NSW Police

0

Our dream for Karen

Now and later

And more Bills Future

planning - money

Newspapers & magazines

Websites Rights & laws

Government information

About Miguel

Age 32 Single

Miguel

High school

Bilingual Urban

Lives at home

Activist-Advocate

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

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

Miguel needs

• Board meeting structure modified

• Meeting materials adapted

• Governance training

• Qualified “meeting facilitation” support: before – during - after

• A job!

Some needs are met

http://www.brcenter.org/BRC_Board_Training/publications.shtml

FOR AGENCIES: Accessible meeting organization handbook

FOR FACILITATORS Training manual

FOR MIGUEL: Online governance training

About Jane

Jane

Age 52 Grandmother

Limited education

Activist-Advocate

Mental health challenges

Fixed Income

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

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

Jane needs

Some needs being met

Money management Decision making process

Mental health website Supports and services

Support team –getting trained

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

Opportunities

Turn to the person beside you

Opportunities

Policies Practices

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

Challenges

Think about what are the challenges to developing documents for people with low literacy.

Turn to the person beside you

The silent % of those with low literacy

Social inclusion and participation

Equal opportunity

Civic engagement

The message Plain Language for Democracy and Citizenship

Mark Starford Board Resource Center, USA

Cathy Basterfield Access Easy English, Australia