I can't help it!  I have to give my negative opinion!!  It's sheer laziness and incomprehensible insensitivity that too many providers view the written material they produce and distribute as too important to simplify.  *I* believe there are more authority figures who are using complicated explanations than not.  
   
  I can't agree more with your phrase: "Thinking you have to (use materials at too difficult a reading level) simply perpetuates the myth that complex information can't be clearly presented."  It's the under-served patient lacking quality follow-up healthcare who suffers the consequences of scary, unneccesary ER visits when their doctor/nurse - whoEVER - doesn't take the time to simplify the language of brochures and other documents they provide so the non-reading patient leaves that office prepared for the healing process ahead. 
   
  Nancy H

"Davies, Nicola" <NDavies at dthr.ab.ca> wrote:
  I completely agree...here is where we bump into the red tape that surrounds all organisations. The budget just isn't there to create new information for every single health topic we cover. When I liaise with charity reps, I always mention we want plain language. We have to get rid of the idea that Plain Language is boring language. Unfortunately, many 'higher-ups' think something is better than nothing and are happy to use information that may not be presented as well as it could be. 

-----Original Message-----
From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Andrew Pleasant
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 11:37 AM
To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 959] Re: respectful terms question


Sure, but my point is .. if it is at 12th grade level - don't list it 
and don't use it - look farther, create new. Thinking you have to 
simply perpetuates the myth that complex information can't be clearly 
presented. After all, if it is very difficult to understand - is it 
really so wonderful?

ap




>It's a nice idea, Andrew, but a lot of the materials shipped out by 

>health organisations are written at at least grade 12 level. A 

>Vancouver-based GI charity has wonderful patient teaching resources, 

>but a lot of their health information is very difficult to 

>understand (even my volunteers have trouble).

>

>Also, there is a question of the norm. When does a piece of health 

>information become easy or difficult to read? Two pieces of health 

>information could be at a Grade 6 level, but not everybody would 

>understand them both equally. The symbol, if one exists, should be 

>simply a guide.

>

>

>

>-----Original Message-----

>From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov

>[mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Andrew Pleasant

>Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 10:33 AM

>To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List

>Subject: [HealthLiteracy 954] Re: respectful terms question

>

>

>Hello everyone,

>

>The question prompted a question ...

>

>Does this indicate that the organization will also be posting

>materials that are difficult to read? Why? Will you flag those also

>somehow?

>

>I suppose the point being, if the mandate is to help people access

>information then I'd suggest only using materials that are accessible

>... thereby making that the norm instead of something needing flagged

>as somehow special or different which perhaps implies (with stigma

>attached?) less capable audiences.

>

>If we collectively reduce the listing of, referencing to, and (by

>extension) perceived demand for poorly conceived and written

>materials, perhaps (far, far away I admit) the world will slowly

>become less awash with reports and journal articles and books and

>guides to health literacy that lack audiences and effectiveness. The

>internet and Microsoft products make it easy to compile many long

>lists of resources - but we don't have to.

>

>For what its worth ... (keeping in mind that it is free)

>

>ap

>

>

>

>>I am working with a community based health resource centre called

>>Health Connections which has a mandate to help people to access

>>health information, programs and services. Health Connections is a

>>service of the health authority and delivered in partnership with

>>the public library. We are compiling resources with health literacy

>>and cultural competency in mind. Web resources will also be

>>identified. I would like to see the plain language items clearly

>>identified on the our website, currently in development.

>>

>>My question is - What words, phrases and/or common symbols are used

>>to identify plain language resources?

>>

>>Many thanks for this very helpful list serve.

>>

>>Trudy Watts

>>Resource Development Co-ordinator

>>Health Connections

>>Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

>>

>>----------------------------------------------------

>>National Institute for Literacy

>>Health and Literacy mailing list

>>HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

>>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

>>Email delivered to pleasant at aesop.rutgers.edu

>

>

>--

>-----------------------------------------------

>Andrew Pleasant

>Assistant Professor

>Department of Human Ecology

>Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences

>Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

>Cook Office Building, 55 Dudley Road #207

>New Brunswick, NJ 08901

>phone: 732-932-9153 x. 320; fax: 732-932-6667

>----------------------------------------------------

>National Institute for Literacy

>Health and Literacy mailing list

>HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

>Email delivered to ndavies at dthr.ab.ca

>

>----------------------------------------------------

>National Institute for Literacy

>Health and Literacy mailing list

>HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

>Email delivered to pleasant at aesop.rutgers.edu

>



-- 
-----------------------------------------------
Andrew Pleasant
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Ecology
Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Cook Office Building, 55 Dudley Road #207
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
phone: 732-932-9153 x. 320; fax: 732-932-6667
----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Health and Literacy mailing list
HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy
Email delivered to ndavies at dthr.ab.ca

----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Health and Literacy mailing list
HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy
Email delivered to sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com


       
---------------------------------
Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! 
Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/healthliteracy/attachments/20070531/02671792/attachment.html