Repealing the Plain Language Act 2022 would mark a major step backwards for people with intellectual disability to easily access important information, says IHC.

In its submission earlier this week to the Governance and Administration Committee, IHC says that people with intellectual disability benefit from plain language, as they are among those most likely to be assessed as having low literacy in reading and writing.

The purpose of the Plain Language Act is to promote the use of plain language among public service agencies and Crown agents to improve the accessibility of public documents. In this Act, plain language means language that is appropriate to the intended audience; and clear, concise, and well organised.

Dr Nicolina Newcombe, IHC’s Inclusion Advisor, says the use of plain language helps people with intellectual disability to understand complex information.

“Plain language also saves time and money. Since the Act was introduced, many agencies have taken positive steps to improve the quality of government communication. To repeal the Act now risks the undoing of all the gains. Experience shows that in a fiscally constrained environment, anything not mandated is at risk of being de-prioritised. If necessary, the Act could be revised, to increase its practical impact.”

Members of an IHC-facilitated Easy Read Advisory Group, made up of people with an intellectual disability, were consulted for their responses to the potential repeal of the Plain Language Act. These are their voices.

“Don’t change it, it needs to be plain language.” Dianne Pelvin

“It makes me feel out of place not to use plain language, otherwise you will be thinking, ‘what on Earth are you talking about’. It’s common sense. Easy English is better, especially for people like us.” Virginia Hika

“They [government workers] do not use plain language [currently], they use big words, they do not understand what is wrong [with the way they talk and write] or what they are saying.” Waata Houia

“It’s not really OK to stop that, how will people like us understand all the jargon? Very hard, hard words and sentences puts us all out.” Kaye McMurray

“Ultimately it is these voices that IHC wants the government to listen to most closely as it considers the repeal of this Act”, says Nicolina. “We implore the government to vote down the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill, then strengthen the Plain Language Act.”

About IHC New Zealand

IHC New Zealand advocates for the rights, inclusion and welfare of all people with intellectual disabilities and supports them to live satisfying lives in the community. IHC provides advocacy, volunteering, events, membership associations and fundraising. It is part of the IHC Group, which also includes IDEA Services, Choices NZ and Accessible Properties.

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