Nicolina Newcombe and Imalka Kannangara,
IHC Group

Judges’ comments

IHC Group impressed the judges with Easy Read documents that are concise, purposeful, and easy to understand. The content stays on task and uses everyday words. Short, active sentences mean readers are never overwhelmed with information. The tone is professional, helpful, and respectful. The judges noted that distilling medical information into simple, clear language takes real expertise.

The structure works well. Logical sections guide readers through the information. Pink definition boxes help explain unfamiliar terms. Headings clearly signal what content is coming. Short paragraphs with plenty of white space make the documents easy to scan and read.

The judges valued how these documents respond directly to requests from the people IHC Group supports. They help both patients and professionals understand important health information. One judge said the work ‘demystifying medical terminology’ was terrific. The documents successfully take difficult topics and make them matter-of-fact and undaunting.

Media statement

IHC advocates for the rights, inclusion, and welfare of all people with intellectual disabilities and supports them to live satisfying lives in the community.

As part of this, we provide accessible information in Easy Read. Easy Read draws on multimodal elements such as plain language, high-contrast colours, clear images, spacious layout, formulaic design, and logical flow and structure, all of which enhance the accessibility of documents. It is referenced in Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as ‘easy to read’ and helps us meet our Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commitments.

At IHC, we have the unique opportunity to create Easy Read information tailored to the people we support. The portfolio we submitted to the Plain Language Awards highlights how we do this with medication information. It also includes an example from our suite of sex and relationship Easy Reads, which was developed based on feedback from a survey asking the people we support what they want and need.

We also review all Easy Read documents with people with intellectual disability to ensure fit for purpose and demonstrate the principle of ‘nothing about us without us.’
We are proud to provide information that is accurate, accessible, and person centred to the people we support and other people with intellectual disability.

Dr Nicolina Newcombe 
Inclusion Advisor
IHC New Zealand Incorporated

Imalka Kannangara
Pharmacist | National Clinical Team
IDEA Services