At IC Works, we often see problems with Easy Read surveys: a survey that looks like Easy Read, but is not accessible in practice. It’s clear, it’s visual, and it may even use plain language - but when you try to fill it in, everything falls apart.

Instead of an Easy Read document, IC Works created a set of videos and instead of aiming them at people with a learning disability and autistic people, these resources are designed for carers and healthcare professionals.

Millions of lives intersect in London every day, as Londoners and visitors find their way around this busy metropolis. For London's authorities and organisations, making information accessible is a fundamental part of connecting with this vibrant, diverse community.

When NHS England asked IC Works to help promote Hospital Passports, also known as Health and Care Passports, we knew it was an important project. Hospital Passports are simple but powerful documents. They tell hospital staff about a person’s needs, preferences, and how they communicate.

In the heart of London, millions of lives intersect every day, each navigating a unique and bustling urban landscape. For London's authorities and organisations, making information accessible isn’t just a regulatory necessity; it's a fundamental part of connecting with this vibrant, diverse community.

Water companies provide an essential, life-sustaining service. From billing and service updates to vital safety notices and complex policy changes, the information you share directly impacts every household and business.

In the heart of every care home lies a fundamental mission: to provide compassionate, person-centred care. This commitment is not only ethical, but it's also a cornerstone of regulatory compliance, particularly with bodies such as the UK's Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Even if you understand the need to make information more accessible by transforming complex information into clear, simple language with pictures in documents and signs, it turns out that there are people out there who need even more help.

When you think about accessibility, what comes to mind? For many, it's about ramps, braille, or perhaps specific software for disabled people. But what if we told you that the real problem often isn't the individual, but the way society is designed? This is the core of the Social Model of Disability.

In today's relentlessly competitive market, every business is looking for an edge. We all pour resources into marketing, lead generation, and sales funnels, all aiming to expand our reach and boost revenue.

Your clients—especially large firms and institutions—are increasingly expected to meet high standards of accessibility and inclusion.

At IC Works, we’ve always designed Easy Read for people with cognitive and language processing challenges. Recently, we’ve noticed something interesting: more people than ever are finding Easy Read helpful—people who may not have learning disabilities, may not use assistive services, and may never have used Easy Read before.

At IC Works, we work with organisations that care about accessibility. More often than not, those organisations have already made real efforts — step-free entrances, ramps, handrails, accessible toilets, and clear routes through public spaces. The physical side of accessibility is on the agenda. And rightly so.

If you’ve ever tried to make a piece of information truly clear for someone with cognitive or language processing challenges, you’ll know it’s not as simple as ‘making it shorter’ or ‘using plain English’.

We recently read the brilliant Design in Government blog post “Easy read is hard to get right”, and we honestly couldn’t agree more.

At IC Works, we specialise in turning complex documents into Easy Read versions. The Easy Read documents are designed to be clear, structured, and accessible for people with learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, or lower literacy levels.

When organizations create Easy Read documents, they often assume that simply simplifying the text—shorter sentences, clearer words, and added images—makes the information accessible. But time and time again, we see well-meaning attempts at simplification that still confuse people. Why?

When people think of Easy Read documents, they often assume they should be childlike, as if simplifying language automatically means simplifying the reader. But here’s the reality: Easy Read is for adults; the topics covered in Easy Read are for adults; people reading Easy Read deserve to be treated as adults.

Most of us don’t think twice about reading. We skim news articles, check emails, and follow instructions without struggling.

But for millions of people, reading is exhausting, frustrating, or downright impossible.

When it comes to Easy Read materials, what kind of images make the biggest difference?

According to Shaun Webster MBE, a member of our Experts by Experience panel at IC Works, the answer is clear:

“I really like photos best because they show real things and real people. They are much easier for people with a learning disability like me to understand than a drawing.”