“Everyone has a right to be communicated with in a way they understand,” says Michael McLellan, board member and past president of BC People First (BCPF), a provincial organization that works to ensure people with developmental disabilities are respected and included in communities as full citizens. “As we always emphasize, ‘Nothing about us without us’,” says Michael.
With that idea in mind, CLBC approached BCPF to help develop scripts for a series of short videos to explain who CLBC is, what its vision and values are, and describe the goals of the CLBC Strategic Plan. BCPF offers a paid plain language translation service that organizations and businesses can use to ensure the information they share is accessible and easy to understand.
“We’re in our third year of offering these services, and this was actually part of our own strategic plan,” says Michael. Past projects have included developing a plain language election guide for Inclusion BC and working on informational materials for a university.
BC People First members reviewed CLBC’s Strategic Plan in detail during a session facilitated by CLBC’s Self Advocate Advisor Jessica Humphrey and past BCPF Provincial Coordinator Ariel Pavic. A re-worded, plain language translation of the document was recorded during the session and used to create three short video scripts: “CLBC and its vision”, “CLBC’s Values” and “CLBC’s Strategic Plan.” The scripts were then given a final close review by the Plain Language Committee before being provided to CLBC.
“We look everything over, and review it line by line and section by section. Then we make decisions by asking ‘Does it sound clear?’ and ‘Is it understandable enough?’ If not, we’ll eliminate some words, reword it, and adjust the text to be more accessible,” says Michael.
With the final plain language scripts in hand from BCPF, CLBC’s communications team worked with Alexander Magnussen, one of CLBC’s Strategic Initiatives Advisors to record the audio narration for the video clips.
Using not only plain language, but also sharing information in different formats, is a sign of respectful communication says Michael. “I’m always emphasizing how important plain language is in any sort of communication. It’s so important to recognize that many people communicate differently and need to receive information differently. Video can be an effective tool because not everyone can read, and not everyone can write. This is one way for people CLBC supports to receive the communications themselves and not have to rely on someone to interpret it. It’s something I’d love to see more of.”
Watch all three videos on CLBC’s Youtube channel at: www.Youtube.com/CommunityLivingBC
