Through a collaborative workshop, SSCR Summer Intern Miranda Bednar, gained a valuable introduction to the process behind developing an Easy Read glossary in an accessible, inclusive, and meaningful way. Miranda is a second year undergraduate student in Sociological Studies.
On the 29th of June, SSCR Research Trainees Elsie Ledger and Mari-Liis Tamm, alongside University of Sheffield summer intern Miranda Bednar, supported a collaborative workshop exploring the development of a shared Easy Read Glossary with a focus on adult social care research. This workshop provided an opportunity for members of the SSCR, Speakup, university staff and researchers to share their ideas, expertise and lived experiences. Their contributions helped to build a strong foundation for the design, definitions and language choices used to create an inclusive and accessible Easy Read glossary.
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Accessible Summary:
- In June, two SSCR Research Trainees delivered a four-hour workshop. They worked with researchers at the university and Speakup.
- Speakup is a group where people living with a learning disability have a say in what they need to better support them.
- The workshop was about creating a shared Easy Read glossary.
- An Easy Read Glossary explains difficult words using simple language. It can help make information easier for people to understand.
- This can help:
- People with learning disabilities
- People with dementia
- People who speak English as another language
- Children
- Small group activities focused on:
- Looking at existing Easy Read materials and suggesting ways to improve them
- Creating and improving shared glossary definitions.
- People at the workshop said it is important to:
- Use clear pictures that help people understand
- Use simple words that everyone can understand
- Keep each page short and easy to read
- The team will use these ideas to improve the Easy Read glossary.
- This will help researchers create information that is clear, easy to understand, and useful for more people.
Summer Intern Miranda’s Reflections:
As someone with limited knowledge and experience of creating Easy Read materials, the workshop was a valuable introduction to the process of developing and designing commonly used Easy Read definitions and key terms within adult social care research. Through working collaboratively with a wide range of partners from different backgrounds, including university staff, researchers and Speakup activists, this helped me to understand the careful consideration and critical thinking required to produce accessible materials that are not only comprehensible, but are also meaningful, nuanced and well representative of the term.
The workshop began by introducing the purpose of the project: to develop a shared Easy Read Glossary, with a particular focus on adult social care research. This glossary aims to support researchers in producing consistent definitions alongside suitable photo-symbols, supporting an inclusive and accessible communication style within social care research, particularly for adults with learning disabilities. This is a necessary contribution so that the sharing and production of knowledge is not restricted for people who may face barriers when accessing complex and technical language styles. In keeping with these aims, the attendees were encouraged to use clear language and avoid jargon throughout the session to support an environment where everyone felt able to contribute.
For the first main activity, attendees worked in small groups to evaluate the effectiveness of existing Easy Read materials. This highlighted the importance of collective discussion, as each member brought different perspectives on which design features worked well and where improvements could be made. Through expanding and comparing these ideas, we were able to think critically about how layouts, wording and images can affect accessibility for different people.
During the group feedback session, participants suggested that the Easy Read materials would be more inclusive if all unfamiliar terms were clearly defined rather than relying on assumed knowledge; that information should be limited per page to minimise overload, and that online resources may benefit from allowing users to adjust the background colours to meet individual preferences. For me, the feedback from Speak Up was particularly valuable, as they provided direct insight into specific language choices and photo-symbols were the easiest to interpret. Ultimately, this activity was essential in improving my understanding of how to design Easy Read materials, helping to inspire the inclusion of a guidance page within the glossary to help future researchers apply the feedback discussed within the workshop when developing their own Easy Read materials.
Throughout the remainder of the workshop, participants focused on developing Easy Read definitions for commonly used terms within adult social care research, including quality of life, rewarding, evidence, co-production, consent, involvement and engagement. At first, we developed our own definitions independently, before working together to discuss and refine a shared definition. This strategy was particularly useful because it encouraged us to consider multiple interpretations of the same concept. It demonstrated how shared decision-making and diverse lived experiences are vital when developing meaningful definitions that are reflective of the subjective, dynamic and contextual nature of the terms. As a result, I found that one of the most challenging aspects of this activity was refining definitions in a way that captured the complexity and nuance of particular terms, while still maintaining clarity and accessibility. This became particularly apparent during the discussions around defining rewarding, as attendees explored how feelings of fulfilment may be experienced differently between personal experiences. Consequently, this exercise illustrated that creating Easy Read definitions is not simply about replacing complex language with simpler alternatives, but rather it is about communicating complex ideas clearly and logically in an approachable way without losing their meaning.
Once the definitions had been refined, participants reflected on how effective both the wording and the corresponding photo-symbol were at representing the term in an accessible way. Discussions highlighted that some of the selected photo-symbols may have unintentionally reflected particular cultural assumptions or biases, which may influence how people interpret the concepts the images represent. For example, one of the photo-symbols designed to represent quality of life portrayed a church and a larger house, which may be interpreted as suggesting that religion and wealth are defining features of living well. In addition to this, participants criticised how some photo-symbols relied on existing knowledge rather than supporting understanding. For instance, the photo-symbol for evidence showed four overlapping magnifying glasses with the word evidence in the centre. Members from Speak Up explained that this image alone was not self-explanatory, suggesting that users would already need to understand the word before the symbol became useful. These discussions encouraged me to think more critically about how I present photo-symbols within the glossary and to reflect on how my own assumptions and experiences may shape the choices I make when designing Easy Read resources.
Overall, this workshop strengthened my analytical skills, attention to detail and appreciation of the careful and reflective thought process behind creating accessible and meaningful Easy Read materials. Most importantly, it demonstrated the significance of bringing together researchers and people with lived experience to build more inclusive resources that better reflect the diverse ways that people understand language. As I continue to develop the Easy Read glossary throughout my internship, I look forward to building on the ideas generated during the workshop to bring about a positive change by creating a resource that supports researchers in producing more consistent and accessible Easy Read materials in the future.