Key Takeaways
- Plain language focuses on clarity, simplicity, and user understanding without losing meaning.
- Plain language in terms of accessibility means improving comprehension for screen reader users and people with cognitive disabilities.
- Using plain language supports legal requirements such as accessibility laws and public communication standards.
- Clear language enhances PDF usability for all readers, not only those with disabilities.
- Combining plain language with proper tagging strengthens overall PDF accessibility.
Accessible PDFs provide equal access to information to people with disabilities, including those who are blind or visually impaired, have cognitive or learning disabilities, or use assistive technology such as screen readers. However, creating an accessible PDF is not just about adding alt text and tags. The language used in the document can also impact its accessibility. It needs to be simple, clear, and plain.
In this article, we will discuss why plain language is important for accessible PDFs and provide some tips on creating plain language documents that are easy for everyone to read and understand.
What is Plain Language?
Plain language is a communication approach that ensures readers can quickly find, understand, and use information the first time they read it. In accessibility contexts, it prioritizes clarity, logical structure, and familiar wording so that content is usable by people with diverse reading abilities, including screen reader users and individuals with cognitive or learning disabilities.
When applied to PDFs, plain language reduces confusion, improves comprehension, and ensures that written content supports and does not hinder accessible design.
Why Does Plain Language Matter in Accessibility?
Using plain language is crucial for ensuring that written materials are accessible and understandable to all audiences. By using simple vocabulary, short sentences, and clear formatting, authors can ensure that their message is conveyed accurately without requiring readers to decipher complex language or syntax. One important area where plain language is particularly critical is the creation of accessible PDF documents. Many individuals rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers or Braille displays to access digital content. These tools require content to be structured in a specific way to ensure that they can accurately interpret the text and represent the document’s contents.
In addition to improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities, plain language can benefit readers who simply prefer a more straightforward writing style. Clear and concise communication allows individuals to quickly grasp important information without being bogged down by confusing jargon or wordy prose.
Including plain language in documents is not just for convenience but should also be followed as required by law. According to the Plain Writing Act of 2010, consistent, concise, organized, and clear language should be followed during written communication, as it helps in:
- Making the content more accessible to a wide variety of audiences
- Allowing people to receive and understand instructions more accurately
- Lessening the time spent on explaining a matter to someone
How to Use Plain Language for Accessible PDFs
How to begin using plain language to make PDFs accessible? Or how do you ensure that the language you use is simple to understand?
Here are some of the best practices of plain language for accessible PDFs and other documents:
- Use words that are used every day: Try to fit your language based on the context and audience. Imagine you are in an everyday conversation with the readers who access your digital content. Hence, try to use words that we use in daily contexts. Provide full forms for abbreviations.
- Write short sentences: Another way to make your PDFs accessible is by including shorter and simplified words like happy instead of gratified. Even adding shorter sentences helps to make the language simpler. People don’t like reading long and never-ending sentences. Give them a break by including a full stop.
- Avoid noun clusters: Including a group of nouns or creating a sandwich of nouns together can drop the readability of a text. Ideally, using more than three nouns together is not recommended. So, make sure you keep this tip in mind for creating accessible PDFs.
- Prefer using active voice over passive voice: Active voice is preferred for writing plain language to make PDFs accessible. It’s more direct, engaging, and easier to understand, and it clearly identifies who is doing what action and avoids ambiguity or confusion arising from passive constructions. It also tends to be shorter than its passive counterparts and is less likely to contain unnecessary words that can confuse readers.
- Use present tense: The use of present tense is crucial when it comes to creating accessible PDFs. Using present tense in plain language writing ensures that readers can comprehend information easily, which is particularly important for people with cognitive or learning disabilities. It can make instructions seem clearer and more actionable by providing specific details that are easy to follow.
- Split your content: Writing in plain language is an essential tool for enhancing the accessibility of PDFs and encouraging inclusivity. Dividing the content into manageable units helps readers with different reading abilities follow along more quickly. This allows readers to process each section without feeling overwhelmed or lost amidst a sea of words. It also makes it easier for those who use assistive technologies such as screen readers or text-to-speech software.
- Keep paragraphs short: Adding only one idea per paragraph helps keep the paragraph compact, concise, and clear. This avoids making the one section overwhelming to understand for individuals with cognitive disabilities or for people who find it difficult to understand, making the PDF accessible.
Examples of Plain Language in Accessible PDFs
Below are examples showing how plain language improves clarity without reducing accuracy or intent. These examples demonstrate how plain language in accessibility supports understanding for a wider audience:
| Avoid This (Complex Language) | Use This (Plain Language) |
|---|---|
| Documentation must be furnished prior to the initiation of services. | You must provide the documents before we start the service. |
| Payment remittance shall be executed no later than the stipulated deadline. | Please make the payment by the due date. |
| Failure to adhere to the prescribed guidelines may result in termination of eligibility. | If you do not follow the guidelines, you may lose eligibility. |
| Upon completion of the evaluation process, determinations will be communicated accordingly. | We will share the results after we finish the evaluation. |
| Access to benefits is contingent upon verification of submitted information. | You can access benefits after we verify your information. |
Create Accessible PDFs That Use Plain Language Effectively
Plain language improves understanding, but true accessibility also requires expert remediation to ensure structure, compliance, and assistive technology compatibility.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is plain language in an accessible PDF?
Plain language in an accessible PDF means writing content that is clear, direct, and easy to understand. It avoids unnecessary jargon, long sentences, and complex wording, helping screen reader users and people with cognitive disabilities understand content more efficiently.
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Is plain language required for PDF accessibility compliance?
While plain language is not always explicitly mandated, it strongly supports accessibility compliance. Standards and laws emphasize clarity, usability, and equal access, which plain language helps achieve, especially for public-facing and regulated documents.
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Does using plain language mean oversimplifying technical content?
No, plain language does not remove technical accuracy. It presents complex ideas clearly by organizing information logically, defining terms, and avoiding unnecessary complexity, while preserving meaning and intent.
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How does plain language improve screen reader accessibility?
Plain language improves how screen readers present information by reducing ambiguity and simplifying sentence structure. Clear wording helps users understand instructions, context, and content without needing to re-listen or guess meaning.
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Can plain language improve accessibility for users without disabilities?
Yes. Plain language benefits everyone by improving clarity, reducing reading time, and minimizing confusion. It enhances user experience across business, education, and government documents, regardless of ability.
