Some people, including blind and partially sighted people, have difficulty in understanding information because of learning disabilities, brain injury, dementia, short memory or poor education.

Material should be planned carefully using clear and simple text (know as Plain English) which will help get the message across to all possible readers – see page 6.

Blind and partially sighted read information in different ways.  For most visually impaired people, clear print information using a minimum of 12 point text using a font such as Arial is enough, although 14 point text is recommended.   Others will require information in different formats to standard print.  Other formats are:

·        Larger print

·        Audio tape

·        Braille

·        Electronic documents, i.e. CD or email

Remember that one format will not be suitable for everyone.   Making information accessible is cheaper and easier than most people think.

SDEF have produced Guidelines for producing material in Accessible Formats (download PDF file 174KB)

If you require this document in Word, please contact  elaine.wilson@sdef.org.uk