The first session of the joint transnational training of the European project SIMPL4ALL on simple language took place at the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Maribor on 7-9 September 2022. Experts and trainers from Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Slovenia and Spain also participated in a seminar on simple and inclusive language in images.
The artist Peter Gaber presented his work as an illustrator of inclusive materials in an easy-to-understand language (E2U), such as some leaflets for the European project “myPart” to promote active citizenship and political participation of people with intellectual disabilities.
The use of images, accompanying text or alone:
-allows you to quickly recognize the topic/situation, using examples from real life,
-permits you to view objects or situations that are difficult to talk or write about (for example, on intimate life or controversial and divisive topics)
– provides support for better interpreting a written text, focusing attention on the main message,
-helps people who are unable to read a written text,
-helps people with little familiarity with complex texts (and learning mediators) to interpret the meaning of the message,
-can add details and additional information to the text,
-increases the sense of inclusiveness of the message if it adds variety (of subjects and points of view) to the situation represented.
What are the rules to follow for a simplified and inclusive representation through images?
-search for suitable images, even from a photographic archive as a reference for reproducing illustrations taken from real-life,
-avoid excessive and redundant artistic styles, avoiding the accuracy of scientific illustration but also the use of childish stylized images,
-provide realistic and easily recognizable details, excluding unnecessary ones,
– make abstract concepts concrete, using universally recognized symbols,
– use the same reasons in different ways to enhance the variety of situations and points of view, avoiding stereotypical visions (for example, if I have to represent a visit to the dentist, also insert the image of a female professional, etc.)
– discuss the appropriateness and intelligibility of the images with the working group and do a test with end users before final editing.
What are the challenges instead?
-discover new areas where the simplified language for images is needed,
-avoid forms of manipulation with “simple language” for personal or profit-making reasons,
-share experiences and knowledge within the community of visual artists,
-make available a free database of inclusive images to use with easy-language.
Attention to the end user, search for concreteness, and replacement of the abstract with the concrete: there are often the same rules we use to write in easy-language.
It does not matter how we communicate: with written texts, in words or images. The important is that the message is clear, unambiguous, meaningful and “simple for everyone”, SIMPL4ALL.