Representatives from various entities from the disability, education, and employment sectors will now be able to provide training through Easy Read thanks to an EU project led by the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector stated on Friday.
The Ministry said that the E.A.S.E (Easy, Accessible, Simple, and Effective) project has been running since March 2024 and falls under the funding program Key Action 2 of Erasmus+, which it added is a small-scale partnership in the adult education field. It stated that CRPD is the main partner in this project and is joined by Social Enterprise Puzzle from Greece, Boarve Konsult AB from Sweden, and the Cyprus Certification Company.
It said that representatives from entities such as the CRPD, Agency Support, Jobsplus, and Lifelong Learning followed training in Easy Read, which the Ministry described as a tool to make content, language, presentation, and pictures accessible to target groups who have difficulties in reading and understanding information. It added that the Easy Read concept covers both written and spoken language and that the project also included the creation of guidelines on how to create Easy Read.
Easy Read, the Ministry continued, is particularly important for people with intellectual disabilities but is also valuable for other sectors of society that may have difficulty reading, such as the elderly and people with dyslexia. It said that this gives people access to information on important documents concerning financial matters, sex education, and health.
Minister Julia Farrugia said that Easy Read is a crucial tool for people with disabilities so that they can make more informed decisions and strengthen their autonomy. She commented that full participation in society means being able to understand and make informed decisions. She remarked that if people with intellectual disabilities are to really live the slogan of 'Nothing About Us Without Us' in practice and promote themselves effectively, then it is essential that they have full access to information. "In this way, they will be able to take a more active role in making their decisions and strengthen their autonomy in society."
The Ministry said that the right to accessible information is enshrined in both the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as in Malta's National Strategy on Disability 2021-2030. It continued that until recently, most of the Easy Read documents in Malta were created by the CRPD with the help of people with intellectual disabilities. However, the demand is high and the need was felt to train more people on how to write Easy Read documents.
The Commissioner of the CRPD, Rhoda Garland, said that the CRPD feels this is another important step towards the creation of an inclusive society where people with disabilities can have access to information that allows them to make their own decisions and have more control over their own lives.
Garland continued that the provision of Easy Read material is also important because "this indicates a change in the way we think about people with intellectual disabilities and how they can shape their lives" which, she said, is that people with intellectual disabilities can be able to make their own decisions if they are given accessible information.