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Resources - Plain English and Setting Out Documents
PLAIN The Plain Language Action & Information Network is a government-wide group of volunteers working to improve communications from the federal government to the public. We believe better communication will increase trust in government, reduce government costs, and reduce the burden on the public. The site includes: - “How to” guides - Examples (Before and After) - Reference Library - Links to related sites - Fun stuff on Plain English - No cost for downloads The manual, Writing User-Friendly Documents, can be read online or downloaded as a MS Word, Word Perfect or PDF file. Plain Language Network Association International http://plainlanguagenetwork.org/ The site includes information on: w Plain Language Resources w Free advice and information on planning, writing, editing and designing communications materials w Resources for lawyers and others on plain legal language w Examples from business, law, science, and journalism w Recent stories about plain language, clear writing and literacy w Links to other organisations w The growing plain-language movement w Government Initiatives w Literacy links Fighting the Fog: Write Clearly http://europa.eu.int/comm/translation/en/ftfog/index.htm The European Commission's Translation Service is running a campaign called "Fight the FOG" to encourage authors and translators to write more clearly. This light-hearted campaign draws attention to the dangers of FOG - that vague grey pall that descends on European Union documents, obscuring meanings and messages, causing delays and irritation. Dead Words List Writing for the Web - Qld Government http://www.qld.gov.au/web/writing/resources/dead_words_a_b.html This site provides a comprehensive list of words and phrases to be avoided. There is also a guide to writing style for web publications. Reading, Typography and Low Vision http://education.umn.edu/nceo/Presentations/LPreading.ppt This is a PowerPoint presentation outlining layout guidelines for increasing document readability for people with low vision. The author is Elaine Kitchel from the American Printing House for the Blind. Reading and Typography http://hubel.sfasu.edu/courseinfo/SL99/typography.html Nathan John Hay concluded that, for people with normal vision, serif fonts were faster and easier to read in some situations and sans serif fonts in others. People with normal vision generally did not have problems reading any type. He also concluded that for people with low vision, sans serif fonts were generally better as they reduced the effect of crowding that can occur with serif fonts. APHont http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html American Printing House for the Blind has developed APHontTM (pronounced Ay'-font). This font aims to enhance reading speed, comprehension, and comfort for large print users. In the near future, the entire APHont Suite will be available free of charge on the APH web site. The APHont Suite consists of Regular, Bold, Italic, and Italic Bold. To download the font, you must certify it will be used for or by a person with a visual impairment. LPFont http://www.tiresias.org/fonts/lpfont/index.htm Another font designed specifically for production of large print, Tiresias LPFont, was available at the time of writing in a package including italic and bold versions for US$30. Textmatters http://www.textmatters.com/tm/interest.html Textmatters is a UK-based information design consultancy. Their web site includes information on: - Information design - Typography - Designing to meet the needs of visually impaired people -http://www.textmatters.com/tm/guides/visually_impaired.html A resource called “Structure in documents: an introduction” looks at the use of databases and markup languages to help the designer make electronic and paper documents work harder and be more useful, concentrating on the markup language called XML. The resource is a PDF file. (http://www.textmatters.com/tm/PDF/docstructures.pdf) Another PDF file on the site, Designing Business Documents, is very useful. Contents include: - Planning and Checking - Content and Structure - Principles of legibility - Document Organisation - Problems with layout Hints for Typography Choiceshttp://icarus.lcc.gatech.edu/This site is a resource for a Georgia Tech class. To go to Typography Hints, choose “info” and then “typography Hints” from the Menu.A Dyslexic Perspective on e-Content Accessibilityhttp://www.techdis.ac.uk/seven/papers/ From this site you can access two research papers on designing accessible documents for people with dyslexia. One of these papers gives web developers an insight into the issues of web accessibility for users with Dyslexia (and/or other specific learning difficulties). This paper covers the four main areas of accessibility: presentation, content, structure and navigation, and includes a good explanation of Dyslexia and visual accessibility of text.Colour & Contrast Accessibility Issues: for the design of e-learning materialshttp://www.techdis.ac.uk/seven/papers/colour-index.htmlThis is a draft paper that provides an insight into the issues of colour choices and colour contrast design requirements when developing on-line learning materials for people with colour discrimination difficulties as in colour blindness and visual impairment and for those who find different colours helpful for reading. The material covered by this paper forms part of the TechDis wider range of research into usability and accessibility issues of electronic educational content.Learn How to Write.com http://learnhowtowrite.com/learnhowtowrite.html This site lets you practice as you work through a tutorial.
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This site is a working draft only! For more information on this project, send an email to: unidesign@optusnet.com.au
© State of Queensland (Department of Employment & Training) 2005 |