ABSTRACT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a trusted source for public health information, but people must be able to access and understand that information for it to be used. The CDC and the CDC Foundation recognized the need to ensure that its guidance documents related to COVID-19 were accessible to the full range of individuals with disabilities, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities who read or listen with comprehension at or below the third-grade level. In response to this need, they contracted with the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies (CLDS), Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, Georgia Institute of Technology, to create easy to read versions of a collection of guidance documents related to COVID-19. The CLDS began the process by seeking existing guidelines or research to support the creation of these documents. When no such information was located, the CLDS conducted a systematic review of the literature and developed the Minimized Text Complexity Guidelines. The outcomes and benefit of this work include improved access to critical information regarding COVID-19 for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as other adults who read and listen with comprehension below a third-grade level.