When we talk about accessibility in the built environment, our minds often go straight to physical features: ramps, automatic doors, accessible toilets, hearing loops and step-free access. These things are essential. They help remove physical barriers and enable people to use spaces more independently.

In Co-production Week (29 June to 3 July 2026), Peter Friedman explores the accessibility of the healthcare system and how co-production can support this process.

For many of us, navigating the healthcare system is a series of simple exchanges: reading a letter, understanding a diagnosis, or explaining a symptom.

Here at IC Works, the team behind easy-read-documents.com, our entire mission revolves around accessibility. We spend our days breaking down barriers to information, ensuring that documents are clear, understandable, and available to everyone.

Whether you see the recent surge in ADHD as a long-overdue neurological awakening or just a side effect of our hyper-stimulated modern world, the ‘over-medicalisation’ debate is definitely the elephant in the office. But for those of us designing accessible communications, the why matters far less than the how.

We know from what our clients are telling us that we are getting really good at making sure people, especially those with cognitive challenges like learning disabilities, autism, dyslexia, and literacy issues, can understand what you need to get across.