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Description
The project will increase the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and reading difficulties in society by translating texts into easy to read language. The project helps the target group to understand their rights and opportunities and reduces vulnerability. NGO Vaimupuu shows possibility to involve different organisations in order to improve the life of the target group. NGO Vaimupuu in cooperation with the Social Insurance Board and NGO Ökotark translates 60 pages of texts into easy to read Estonian and Russian languages. Texts are received as input from the Social Insurance Board and translated with involvement of the expert and target group. There are 6 welfare institutions that will be visited, where the comprehensibility of the texts will be tested. Descriptions of social services in easy to read language help target group to understand their rights and opportunities and reduce their vulnerability. Inclusion and networking empower target group to be active and independent members of society. NGO Vaimupuu increases its role as a promoter of easy language. The Social Insurance Board place the completed texts on its website, where it will be available to the general public. More than a million readers visit the Social Insurance Board''s website every year.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address the issue of information accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities and reading difficulties, who often struggle to understand complex language. Official websites of public institutions use formal and legally derived wording, which can be difficult for this group to comprehend. Although Inclusion Europe has developed the European Union’s easy-to-read principles, these guidelines are not widely considered in Estonia, where the concept of easy-to-read is largely unfamiliar. Additionally, Estonia lacks a network of organizations dedicated to easy-to-read communication, leading to fragmented efforts as different organizations attempt to find their own ways to share information with the target group. There is no established platform for knowledge exchange, nor is there structured collaboration to involve the target audience in the creation of accessible information materials.
Sixty pages of social services descriptions were translated into easy-to-read language to help individuals with intellectual disabilities and reading difficulties understand their rights and opportunities, thus reducing their vulnerability. Texts were produced that make understanding of social services accessible even to those for whom official language use is too complex, yet who are in great need of knowledge in the social sector.
Once its new website is completed, the Social Insurance Board will post the texts on their website, where they will be available to the broader public. The Social Insurance Board''s website is visited by over a million individual readers annually.
The project improved the accessibility of social sector information for people with intellectual disabilities and reading difficulties. Texts translated into easy-to-read language helped this target group better understand services relevant to them, enhancing their inclusion in society and increasing their awareness of their rights and opportunities. This, in turn, reduced their vulnerability. Additionally, the project improved the digital accessibility of the Social Insurance Board’s website for people with intellectual disabilities.
By involving individuals with intellectual disabilities in the project, they were empowered to become more active and independent members of society. Feedback from project participants and target groups indicated that easy-to-read summaries have helped people seek assistance in cases of sexual violence. Organizations participating in testing also reported positive outcomes, noting that individuals with intellectual disabilities now better understand complex topics, and activity instructors find it easier to explain difficult subjects to their clients.
The primary target group of the project was individuals with intellectual disabilities, with the broader aim of fostering their social inclusion, boosting their confidence, and encouraging their contribution to both societal and personal development.
A particularly significant achievement was the creation of easy-to-read materials in Russian. While Estonian-speaking individuals with intellectual disabilities and reading difficulties often face an information gap, this issue is even more pronounced among the Russian-speaking population.