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How to make going to court less stressful for people with communication support needs

  • Writer: Embrace Access
    Embrace Access
  • Mar 27
  • 2 min read

Going to court is stressful! If you have a communication disability, this stress is multiplied. One remedy–make information easier to read.💡


There is significant research indicating a connection between low English literacy

or language disorders and offending in Australia.


Chow et al. (2022) found that youth offenders have significantly lower language skills than their non-offending peers, with 50% showing moderate and 10% severe language impairments. These deficits highlight the need for targeted language interventions in the justice system. ​


You can view the systematic review of research on the communication needs of young offenders here:


🏆 This month, Legal Aid ACT teamed up with Embrace Access to create Easy Read documents helping people with low English literacy to:

  • understand legal jargon (think 'Magistrate', 'hearing', 'summons')

  • find and use free legal aid services

  • get a free lawyer

  • bring the right documents to court

  • wear the right clothing to court

  • follow court room etiquette (when to bow to the judge)

  • understand plea types (adjourn, guilty, not guilty)

  • make the right plea.


We'll share the full Easy Read documents soon.


For now, here's a page from our book 'Going to Court' explaining what to wear when you go to court, using simple words and accessible images.👩‍⚖️


[Alt text: The heading says 'What to wear'. Wear neat clothes to court. For example, clothes you would wear to a job interview. Image to left of this sentence shows a woman standing in a confident way, with arms crossed. Neat clothes include a clean top and pants. Image on left shows a white shirt and brown trousers. Neat clothes include closed toe shoes. Image on left shows a brown leather dress show with laces. Do not wear tracksuits. Image on left shows a hoodie with a strike through. Do not wear thongs. Image on left shows a pair of thongs with a strike through.]

“Working with Embrace Access is a fantastic way to improve communication access in the justice sector. Legalese is such a barrier to access for people with disability, and a stressor for many! We can help by making important information easier to read. The Easy Read format uses pictures so people who find it hard to interpret text alone (eg. People with Dyslexia) still have tools to understand and take part with more confidence.”



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