Developing a federal plain language standard for accessibility 

When:  Wednesday, January 17, 7:30 to 8:30 pm PST

Where: Online through Zoom

Cost:    Editors Canada members, free; non-members, $10; student non-members, $5

The Accessible Canada Act became law in 2019, committing the federal government to the goal of a barrier-free Canada by 2040. The federal public sector, Crown corporations, and federally regulated industries must follow certain accessibility standards to reduce barriers for people with disabilities.

Plain language is a key component of accessibility. In the fall of 2020, Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) assembled the Plain Language Technical Committee to develop a federal plain language standard. Committee member Iva Cheung will give an overview of how the committee developed the plain language standard, what communications and industries will be affected, and how this standard might be used. Iva will also comment on how this effort fits into the history and future of plain language, standards, and editing in Canada, including its relationship to the recently published ISO (International Standards Organization) plain language standard. You’ll also learn how to give your input when the standards become available for public review in a couple of months.

Iva Cheung is a Certified Professional Editor, indexer, publishing consultant, and policy researcher. She has won the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence, President’s Award for Volunteer Service, and Karen Virag Award for promoting the editing profession. A long-time plain language advocate and scholar, she joined ASC’s Plain Language Technical Committee as an academic member. She is grateful to live as an uninvited settler on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Halkomelem)-speaking peoples, including the Qayqayt First Nation.

Note: This meeting will NOT be recorded.