For a lot of people, the traditional written CV is treated as the ‘proper’ way to apply for a job. But from an accessible information perspective, it’s worth saying plainly: a standard CV can be a difficult task for anyone.

AI can be amazingly helpful. It can shorten sentences, simplify vocabulary, and give a document a much clearer structure. But there’s an important risk: text can become easier to read without becoming easier to understand.

Co-production is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the world of Easy Read document creation. Many services claim to involve ‘experts by experience’—people with lived experience of learning difficulties, autism, or language comprehension challenges—but often, their role is limited to checking pre-prepared documents rather than shaping them from the start.

Have you ever looked at an Easy Read document and thought, This doesn’t feel all that… easy? You’re not alone. A lot of so-called Easy Read materials still miss the mark. They’re packed with simplified language and pictures, sure—but somehow they still leave the people that really need them very confused or struggling to make sense of the information.