International Easy Language Day – 28th of May 2020

Logo of International Easy Language Day. Four coloured lines from top to bottom containing the letters E, A, S, Y from left to right in orange, green, purple and red on blue background. The lines with the letters entangle towards the bottom.

On the 28th of May 1988, the foundation documents of Inclusion Europe were signed. Inclusion Europe is an important and fruitful initiative that fights for “equal rights and full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in all aspects of society” (https://www.inclusion-europe.eu, Feb 26th 2020).

At the moment, the members of Inclusion Europe come from 39 European countries. From the day of its foundation, this initiative has dealt with the living conditions of people with disabilities. Accessibility of information has been a central demand right from the beginning. In 1998, Inclusion Europe has published the first guidelines for Easy Language in many European languages. In many countries, these rules are still the only existing guideline to accomplish easy-to-understand information.

On the conference “EASIT Multiplier Event 3 – Towards a better understanding” that took place on February 12th and 13th 2020 at the University of Hildesheim, participants with and without disabilities from 11 countries proposed the May 28th as International Easy Language Day. We would be glad if the proposal caught on and if the day was used to point out to achievements and events around Easy Language, as well as to still existing shortcomings and future demands.

For this year’s International Day of Easy Language, we created a video in which different people say “International Day of Easy Language” in their respective languages.

Find the original post here:
https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/leichtesprache/news/artikel/artikel/28-mai-in-1/