The business of trying to design better elections has it’s ups and downs. What’s going on in New York State is a good example. Good news. In 2010, New York State switched from lever machines to paper ballots. Bad news. The ballots were, to put it mildly, difficult to read. … Continue reading
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 goes into effect on October 13, 2011. This law requires the federal government to write all new publications, forms, and publicly distributed documents in a “clear, concise, well-organized” manner that follows the best practices of plain language writing. It may not be a tough … Continue reading
At the UPA 2008 Conference in Baltimore, Karen Peltz Strauss, of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telecommunications, gave of presentation on telecommunications accessibility and policy for people with hearing disabilities. She described different access options as well as US laws and regulations. Access to telecommunications and US telecommunications policy for … Continue reading
Ginny Redish is one of the internationally recognized experts in plain language, gave a seminar for members of the federal advisory committee updating US accessibility regulations (Section 508). She covered: What is plain language? How can plain language be used to improve the usability of regulations Examples of plain language … Continue reading
Dear Senator Akaka and Congressman Braley, The Usability Professionals’ Association supports efforts to encourage easier access to government by all citizens. One way to achieve this is through greater use of plain language in all government communications. We commend you for introducing H.R. 3548 and S.2291 The Plain Language in Government … Continue reading
