The Easy Read Toolbox

07/08/2025

New research has revealed that Australians with intellectual disability are at 4.5x higher risk of preventable hospitalisation and 2x greater risk of dying from an avoidable death. The most common and changeable reason for this issue is people with intellectual disability experiencing persistent health inequalities.

To help reduce the inequalities people with intellectual disability experience, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has announced a new initiative to improve medicine safety and health outcomes.

The Pharmacy Daily article ‘Med safety initiative for intellectual disability’ shares that the initiative will empower people with intellectual disability to feel confident, informed and in control of their medicines.
The initiative will improve health literacy, medicine safety and access to pharmacist-led services, such as medication reviews, dose administration aids, prescribing and injectable medicines.

The initiative is a collaboration with the South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability Inc (SACID) and The University of Newcastle, Australia. The collaboration will work closely with people with intellectual disability to co-design interactive workshops and Easy Read resources that build understanding of safe medicine practices.

The Easy Read Toolbox understands how critical accessible communication is for EVERYONE. Accessible communication is key for people with disability to make their own informed choices. Without accessible communication, we’re denying people with disability the RIGHT to information that may be needed to make life-changing decisions.

Accessible information is a right and should be a global standard.

Contact us to start your inclusion revolution.
https://www.easyreadtoolbox.info/contact-us

Image: "By bringing together lived experience, clinical expertise, and research, this collaboration is a powerful step toward reducing health inequities and delivering better, safer care for a community that has long been overlooked." PSA National President Associate Professor Fei Sim

06/08/2025

“Disability is not a dirty word.”

At The Easy Read Toolbox, our aim is to spread awareness, understanding, and respect for people with disability.
Too often, society treats the word “disability” as something negative, making assumptions about how someone works, lives, or takes part in the community.

It’s time to recognise that outdated stereotypes and assumptions are no longer acceptable.

To help drive our Inclusion revolution, we've released our new range of T-shirts, perfect for disability pride month.
https://www.easyreadtoolbox.info/category/Merchandise

Image: T-shirt of our model Tianne, photographed by our GM Ladina, holding a sign: disability is not a dirty word.

05/08/2025

Hey Sydney,

We’ve got something to share with you!

The Toolbox is back in town for the 2025 Social Enterprise Festival.

On August 16 some of our inclusion revolutionists will be around to answer ALL Easy Read questions.

The festival is perfect to learn more about social enterprise, get hands on with a range of market stalls and workshops, and connect with like-minded individuals and organisations.

So whether you’re looking to find out more about us, what we do, how we work or simply just wanting to say hi, we will be waiting for you!

The festival is FREE, but don't forget to grab your tickets:
https://facebook.com/events/s/the-2025-social-enterprise-fes/1079088674252126/

Image description: Image of Founder Karen Hedley (left) and General Manager Ladina Castle (Right). Text reads: Free event, Business School. Social Enterprise Festival, 16 August 2025.

04/08/2025

Did you know?
Nearly 50% of Australians can’t read beyond a primary school level.

This includes people with disability, those who may have fallen through the gaps at school, or individuals who use English as a second language.

No matter their background, everyone has the right to access information that’s clear and tailored to their needs.
This might mean simplifying language or adding definitions for complex terms and jargon.

To support more accessible communication, The Easy Read Toolbox has compiled a list of common words that often need extra explanation.

The Easy Read Toolbox is a certified social enterprise, providing accessible education that supports and advocates for people with disabilities.

👉 Purchase your copy of the definitions list and start your inclusion revolution:
https://www.easyreadtoolbox.info/product/Guide-to-Easy-Read-Word-Explanations-The-Easy-Read-Toolbox

Image: Text: Access the right definition here: Accessibility: Accessibility means everyone should be able to use, read and understand something.

02/08/2025

For Canberrans!

31/07/2025

Are you ready to join the Inclusion Revolution?

The Easy Read Toolbox produces a monthly email newsletter packed full of tips for inclusive communication, exclusive offers for subscribers, news and upcoming events and so much more.

Who is this for?

✅ Organisations or Government bodies seeking to convert important documents into Easy Read.
✅ Social media managers looking for tips on writing inclusive communications.
✅ Health practitioners looking to provide Easy Read documents to patients.
✅ Anyone who values access and inclusion or just wants to keep up to date with what we’re doing!

If you’re ready to embark on an inclusive journey with us, get onto the mailing list and we’ll send you our FREE Accessible Communication & Easy Read introduction booklet.

Join the inclusion revolution here: https://www.easyreadtoolbox.info/get-started

Image: Illustration of a laptop. text reads: Subscribe and join the inclusion revolution. Becoming a member, you receive: a Free resource, event and workshop announcements, updates from the team and opportunites to work together.

30/07/2025

Building inclusion in everyday settings!

Traditionally, people assume Easy Read is only for government documents, educational resources, accessible posts, and medical information. And yes, these are all important places where Easy Read plays a critical role in ensuring access and understanding for people with disability and others who benefit from clear communication.

But Easy Read doesn’t need to stop at formal documents!

Easy Read can be a fun, creative, and inclusive tool in everyday life. Here are some unexpected and engaging ways to use it:

🛒 Menus and Recipes – Make cooking or ordering food more inclusive with simple, step-by-step Easy Read instructions and pictures.
🎉 Event Invitations – Help everyone feel welcome by using Easy Read in party invites, wedding announcements, or community events.
🧩 Games and Hobbies – Use Easy Read for board game rules, how-to guides for crafts, or even instructions for tech and apps.
💬 Social Media Posts – Make your content more inclusive by using Easy Read to break down complex topics or share news.
🏠 Household Instructions – Use Easy Read for daily routines, cleaning schedules, or how-to guides for home appliances.
🎓 School Notes and Homework – Students with different learning needs can benefit from Easy Read to support their education in and out of the classroom.
🧠 Mental Health and Wellbeing Tips – Use Easy Read to explain self-care routines, mindfulness activities, or support services.

At its core, Easy Read is about inclusion and accessibility. When we use it in everyday life, we open more doors for more people to engage, participate, and thrive.

Image: A mind map showing different ways Easy Read can be used to make content accessible.
First image: Is the board game ‘Snakes and Ladders’Second image: A wedding invitation, symbolising inclusive event invitations.
Third image: A pair of hands holding a paper brain, representing mental health and wellbeing.
Fourth image: Sticky notes with various icons, a graduation cap, microscope, judge’s gavel, and medical symbol. Representing education, science, legal, and health information.
Fifth image: Step-by-step building instructions for a cardboard project, symbolising DIY guides and hobbies.
Sixth image: A menu from a café, representing accessible food and dining options.

Text reads: Accessible?

28/07/2025

Make it Accessible Monday!

Expanding your social reach can be challenging, whether you’re a business, creator, or advocate.

But while focusing on boosting engagement, many overlook one crucial detail: inaccessible social media content.

This simple mistake doesn’t just limit your reach; it excludes a large and powerful audience: The Disability Community, which includes people with disability, their families, friends, and allies.

Collectively, this community represents an estimated global spending power of $13 trillion.

Here’s the good news:
You don’t need a massive budget to be inclusive.
You just need to start.

Start by making small, consistent changes to your content.

💡 For example:
✅ Capitalise the first letter of each word in your hashtags (also known as CamelCase).

This helps screen readers pronounce hashtags correctly and makes them easier for everyone to read.

Need a little more guidance? Check out our website to join the inclusion revolution: https://www.easyreadtoolbox.info/

Image: An Ibis with a speech bubble, ‘Instead of ’ and a Marsupial Rat with a speech bubble, ‘MakeItAccessibleMonday’

24/07/2025

Health care for young people with disabilities

More often than not, health care is inaccessible for young people with disabilities.

For a system designed to provide effective, tailored care, too many still find themselves in the dark.

Unfortunately, like many others, The Toolbox team has experienced healthcare barriers through decades of lived and professional experience.

To help break down these barriers, Easy Read is a powerful tool to improve accessibility and inclusion in healthcare settings.

🗣️ "When health professionals adjust their approach, using plain language or Easy Read resources, allowing extra time, or involving regular carers, it can make the process much more inclusive."

Get in touch to find out how we can support your inclusion journey.

📧 Contact: admin@easyreadtoolbox.info

📖https://www.croakey.org/too-many-miss-out-improving-access-to-preventive-health-checks-for-people-with-intellectual-disability/

Get all the tools you need to write easy-to-understand communication in one place. When over 50% of the Australian population reads at a primary school level or below, why are you still baffling your clients with jargon, complex text, and unnecessary novels?!

22/07/2025

Want to master Easy Read and make your message truly accessible?

Get all the tools in The Easy Read Toolbox right at your fingertips!

Members get access to exclusive resources like:
👉 An image bank of over 3000 images suitable for Easy Read and other uses, with new images released regularly.
👉 Basic templates to create your own Easy Read documents.
👉 A 5-module mini course to get you started in Easy Read.
👉 A word guide, regularly updated to describe difficult words.

All that for just $28 a month… wild, we know! 🤯

Still on the fence?
Here’s the kicker: 44% of Australians read at a primary school level or below.
If your communications aren’t inclusive, you’re missing almost half your audience.

It’s time to change that.
Become a member today and start creating communication and content that truly connect.

Let’s do it together!

Image: Illustration of a cockatoo dressed in a suit holding a microphone, with a speech bubble: Become a member today! Text reads: Exclusive resources, 3000 images, Easy Read Templates, for just $28 a month.

22/07/2025

Ladina is not just our General Manager, she is also Ladina Photography and our official photographer!

Huge thanks to ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability, the wonderful models and support teams.

Stay tuned for images in a few weeks!

On Saturday we spent the morning with the amazing team at The Easy Read Toolbox grabbing photos that will be used in Easy Read documents!

We had 7 amazing models come through the doors, showing off their amazing personality and modelling skills.

Big thank you to Sam for grabbing some behind the scenes shots!