Samenvatting

The Dutch government believes that clarity and accessibility of texts are important (for example, the “Direct Duidelijk” initiatives), and
many organizations are working hard to improve their communication. Being able to understand and
use these texts is essential for citizens to handle their affairs with the government. Sometimes citizens need to contact the government to fulfill their obligations, and other times they have rights to claim. They need to understand what to arrange or how they can apply for services or facilities. However, it turns out that (web) texts are hard to understand and use for the majority of citizens (Corsius & Sluis-Thiescheffer, 2023). Conversations with several organisations in law and health care (such as hospitals) expose that plain language is not yet self-evident.
The question is: How can organizations ensure that all their communication with their target group is in plain language?