Today, advanced scientific methods, technologies and various tools make it possible to adapt information to different groups of society and thereby increase their involvement. By properly using these tools, we can make life easier for thousands of people in Lithuania.
Inclusion and responding to the needs of various groups of society were the key principles in preparing Lithuania’s future vision “Lithuania 2050”. In order to make it easier for every citizen to look at the future of the country, its creators voiced the vision in a few months, adapted it for the blind and visually impaired, translated it into sign language, adapted it using the easy-to-read method and translated it into the languages of the national communities.
The blind read everything – it is important to present the information correctly
According to Vilmantas Balčikonis, Deputy Chairman of the Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (LASS), recently in the public space and institutions it is increasingly recognized and made aware that people can see differently, have difficulty understanding, have dyslexia and therefore have difficulty reading text.
“Sometimes I come across the myth that blind people only read braille or listen to spoken text. I would like to dispel this myth. Blind and partially sighted people use the latest smartphones, computers, surf the Internet, study, do various jobs, and read documents in various formats. However, if the information is not properly prepared, for example, a scanned document is shared, blind people with assistive devices cannot read it”, says V. Balčikonis.
The LASS team familiarized the “Lietuva 2050” organizers with the special features of reading for the visually impaired and the blind, advised in preparing the layout and design of the document, and performed several tests to check whether everything was working properly.
“A prepared document is not outwardly different from a document intended for the sighted. In the future, we should apply the principles of universal design more widely – create fewer separate document versions for target groups, learn to adapt one document to the largest possible number of users. Adapting a document that is still in development is much easier than trying to organize inaccessible material. I would like for each team to have one person in charge of the topic of information availability, as happened when creating the vision “Lithuania 2050”, says V. Balčikonis.
Translating the vision into sign language is a motivating challenge
According to Dale Nevardauskienė, the chief translator of the Kaunas territorial department of the Lithuanian Sign Language Translation Center, the translation of the vision into sign language became quite a challenge, requiring a great deal of team focus and knowledge. However, this project was implemented with enthusiasm – the opportunity to ensure the availability of strategically important information on a Lithuanian scale motivates the deaf.
“The biggest challenge in translating the text clearly and comprehensibly into sign language was choosing the most appropriate gestures. In the translated text of the vision “Lietua 2050″ there are many phrases that have a figurative meaning, which are not used in sign language or are used very rarely and are not known to the whole deaf community. We had to discuss a lot and consult with deaf translators about which gesture is better to use for which term”, D. Nevardauskienė talks about the challenges of translation.
To implement the project, a team of 6 sign language interpreters from different cities was formed, video filming and editing competences were also used, activity coordination colleagues were also involved, consultations were held with deaf interpreters.
Applying the easy-to-understand language method would improve the quality of life by 15 percent. Lithuanian residents
According to one of the organizers of the easy-to-understand language adaptation, linguist lecturer Agnė Župerkaitė, state institutions all over the world have already realized that people accept clear, concise information more easily, so bureaucratic, complex documents are abandoned when communicating with the public.
Text simplification methods are becoming extremely popular in the world, which help to adapt information to the widest possible groups of society. One of them is the easy-to-understand language method. This tool helps to simplify text so that it is clear and understandable for people with reading or comprehension difficulties.
“Let’s think about the feeling of confusion if we find ourselves in a country where a foreign language is spoken, we don’t understand the road signs or the menu in a restaurant. This is how easy language readers who experience comprehension challenges sometimes feel. And how do seniors who experience dementia, people with intellectual and psychosocial disorders, non-native speaking immigrants, people recovering from head injuries feel when they are trying to find answers to important questions?
The information presented in an easy-to-understand language gives these people the opportunity to receive the necessary and understandable information, which may seem ordinary to many of us”, says A. Župerkaitė.
According to her, the easy-to-understand language method is still new in Lithuania, although, according to the Ministry of Social Security and Labor, there are 420,000 people in Lithuania, or 15%, for whom easy-to-understand information can change their quality of life. population.
“If we do not adapt information that is important to society using an easy-to-understand language, we deprive people of the opportunity to find out and get answers to the questions they care about, independently or with help, without much effort. Before the text is published in easy-to-understand language, it is always checked by the target group, whose representatives provide their comments and help improve the document.
While preparing the adaptation of “Lithuania 2050” in an easy-to-understand language, it was checked by members of the “Open Community”, persons with intellectual disabilities”, says Miglė Baltrūnaitė, one of the organizers of the adaptation of the document “Lithuania 2050”, social science expert and social worker.
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