Plain language and accessible conversations
Write so people understand the first time, and communicate effectively with people who have vision, hearing, speech or cognitive disabilities. Covers plain-language techniques from the US government's Digital.gov guides (active voice, present tense, hidden verbs, short sentences and paragraphs, testing), the W3C guidance on making content usable for people with cognitive and learning disabilities, and, as a US example, the ADA's effective communication rules: auxiliary aids, relay calls, interpreters and companions. Local law and your organization's procedures govern.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 40 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 3 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Rewrite sentences using active voice, present tense and visible verbs
- Break long sentences and paragraphs into short, single-topic units with headings
- Choose a suitable way to test whether content is understood
- Apply cognitive-accessibility patterns: clear words, literal language, one instruction at a time, summaries
- Handle relay calls and requests for interpreters or captioning appropriately
- Explain why companions, and especially children, should not normally be relied on to interpret
Course outline
- 1.Plain language and accessible conversationsVideo · 3 min
- 2.Plain language: write it so it's understood the first timeLesson · 14 min
- 3.Content that works for people with cognitive and learning disabilitiesLesson · 12 min
- 4.Talking with people who have vision, hearing or speech disabilitiesLesson · 14 min
- 5.Plain language and accessible conversations: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
- 6.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Digital.gov (US GSA): Plain language guide series: Writing for understanding
- Digital.gov (US GSA): Plain language: Clear and short
- Digital.gov (US GSA): Plain language: Test for understanding
- W3C: Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities (Working Group Note, 2021)
- ADA.gov (US Department of Justice): ADA Requirements: Effective Communication
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.