We recently read the brilliant Design in Government blog post “Easy read is hard to get right”, and we honestly couldn’t agree more.

At IC Works, we specialise in turning complex documents into Easy Read versions. The Easy Read documents are designed to be clear, structured, and accessible for people with learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, or lower literacy levels.

When organizations create Easy Read documents, they often assume that simply simplifying the text—shorter sentences, clearer words, and added images—makes the information accessible. But time and time again, we see well-meaning attempts at simplification that still confuse people. Why?

When people think of Easy Read documents, they often assume they should be childlike, as if simplifying language automatically means simplifying the reader. But here’s the reality: Easy Read is for adults; the topics covered in Easy Read are for adults; people reading Easy Read deserve to be treated as adults.

Most of us don’t think twice about reading. We skim news articles, check emails, and follow instructions without struggling.

But for millions of people, reading is exhausting, frustrating, or downright impossible.

When it comes to Easy Read materials, what kind of images make the biggest difference?

According to Shaun Webster MBE, a member of our Experts by Experience panel at IC Works, the answer is clear:

“I really like photos best because they show real things and real people. They are much easier for people with a learning disability like me to understand than a drawing.”

Not too long ago, the idea of universal accessibility—where information is truly available to everyone, regardless of ability—felt like a distant dream.

For much of history, public information displays were simply inaccessible to the deaf or blind, and even dedicated accessibility solutions—like braille, easy read formats, and audio recordings—only addressed specific needs in isolation.

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.

At IC Works, we know that Easy Read documents should be clear, accessible, and respectful. But too often, Easy Read materials rely on cartoonish imagery and child-like design choices—a style that many assume is necessary but can actually feel patronising to the adults who rely on these documents.

If AI ever woke up in a cold sweat from a bad dream, it’d be over Easy Read pictures. Seriously, if you think AI-generated transcription has its limitations, wait until you try to get it to handle imagery. What looks like a promising tool at first glance quickly becomes a maddening exercise in frustration—and sometimes outright hilarity.

Let’s talk about the big, awkward question: Can AI turn formal documents into Easy Read? The answer is tricky. It’s not a simple yes or no—it’s more like no, but also yes, sort of. AI isn’t about to take over the entire Easy Read process, but it does have a role to play, especially at the preliminary transcription stage. Let me explain.

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.

We’ve been really busy since 2021 developing new services, accessible formats and new ways of co-producing Easy Read documents. We’ve also started to employ staff, become a Living Wage Employer and a Committed Disability Confident Employer.

At a time in recent history when information and messaging more than ever needs to be direct and easy to understand, it’s gratifying to find excellent quality information aimed at people with learning disabilities.

After shooting a heap of video a few months ago we finally got round to editing the footage last week for Hate Crime Awareness Week. The result was two very engaging videos featuring Sanjay solo and Jide and Desmond as a double header.

IC Works has been partnering with self-advocacy group Camden People First on the production of Easy Read Documents since the beginning of 2016.

Since IC Works and Camden People First, first started working together in February 2016 we have forged a strong working relationship with Pete and Karl at Photosymbols.

Barking and Dagenham Council are changing the way they deliver social services. One way to make this process more accessible to local people is the production of a roadmap that shows, pictorially, key life stages from pregnancy to end of life.

In December 2016, there was a panoply of updates to Office 365 that will make it much easier to create accessible content using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and Vision.

The first EasyRead+ document that IC Works produced with Camden People First was a research participant paper for Sheffield University.