The case for the use of plain English to increase web accessibility

Within the endeavour of work to increase the accessibility of web pages, little attention has been paid to the contribution that simplifying the textual content could make. Furthermore, attention needs to be given to alternative renderings of web page content as the web becomes more graphically and aurally orientated. This paper describes the role that Plain Language can play in supporting accessibility, particularly where textual content must be translated into sign language or speech, where Plain Language is clear and simple language which is both readable and understandable by the audience for which it is intended. It concludes that the use of plain language in web sites can aid accessibility for many categories of user including those with hearing or visual disabilities, or both as is the case with the deaf-blind population, but also for the population as a whole.