Anisa Wellington | July 1, 2026 - Atlanta, GA

Plain Language

Plain language is a way of writing that is designed to be easily understood by its intended audience. Its structure allows its audience to do the following:

• Find what they need

• Understand what they find

• Use the information 

Writing in Plain Language

When writing in plain language, it is important to understand who your audience is so you can tailor your content accordingly. Tailoring your content involves only including information your audience wants to know. If you have multiple audiences, it’s best to address them separately to avoid confusing people. Addressing multiple audiences at once can make it harder for an audience to find what is relevant to them.

Using plain language requires using different words based on your audience. A common misconception is that plain language means getting rid of technical words to ensure anyone can understand, however this is not the case. If your audience is familiar with the word, then it can still be used.

Another important part of writing in plain language is organization. Writing in a logical order, including the most important information first, and starting with general information can all help your audience better find what they need.

To keep content easy to understand, plain language relies on avoiding long, wordy, complex sentences. Simple sentences in active voice are easier for people to understand.

CIDI’s Plain Language Tool

A team of CIDI’s researchers used these principles to develop a Minimized Text Complexity AI (MTC) tool for health communications. This tool helps write health information in plain language for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). 

During this project, the researchers co-designed the tool with adults with IDD to understand their audience. From their research, they ensured the writing would use words, organization, and simple sentence structures that could be easily understood by people with IDD.