SRLN COVID-19 Best Practice Tip: Produce Plain Language and Accessible Court Administrative Orders (News 2020)
As COVID-19 continues to impact court operations, courts must produce easy to understand and accessible translations of court administrative orders in order to ensure court processes remain inclusive of all court users. SRLs, the predominant user group in the civil courts, can not easily navigate procedural requirements through legalese heavy orders alone. Court policies should be translated into plain language (at a maximum of a fifth-grade reading level) and relevant non-English languages. If video is used, it should be captioned to be accessible to the hearing impaired.
Year published:
2020
Document Author:
SRLN
SRLN Brief: Intro to Design Thinking (SRLN 2017)
In the Access to Justice space, design thinking practices from the technology space are increasingly embraced to improve the way people access legal services and to improve and simplify the processes themselves. Reviewing practices around the country, we see that sustainable innovation in the access to justice space happens when design thinking is adopted and implemented in our core practices, and when that happens we can effectively identify where technology can offer scalable, sustainable and accessible resources.
Year published:
2017
Document Author:
Katherine Alteneder, Eduardo Gonzalez
News: Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice Uses SRLN Maps for Statewide Strategic Planning (Illinois Supreme Court 2017)
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice has started using the SRLN demographics maps for presentations to circuit clerks, circuit court judges, civil legal aid and pro bono practitioners. “The maps helped provide context for why access to justice is so necessary by broadening our scope of focus onto statewide demographics,” states Danielle Hirsch, Assistant Director of the Civil Justice Division of Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Year published:
2017
Document Author:
Alison Davis-Holland
News: Language Access: Key Component for 100% Access (SRLN 2016)
In the last few years, state courts throughout the country have renewed their focus on language access planning and services for limited-English proficient (LEP) users. These efforts have largely occurred in response to the DOJ’s 2010 letter reminding courts of Title VI obligations as well as rapidly growing LEP populations nationwide (see Center for Immigration Studies 2015 report).
Year published:
2016
Document Author:
cristina llop
Resource: Equal Access Unit of the California Center for Families, Children & the Courts (Judicial Council of California 2015)
The Equal Access Unit of the Center for Families, Children & the Courts has materials available for courts, court-based self-help programs, and other nonprofit providers of legal self-help services.
The materials include sample instructional handouts developed by local courts, translations, brochures, program models, evaluation tools, and ideas for setting up a self-help center.
Background
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
California Judicial Council Center for Families Children & the Courts
SRLN Brief: Plain Language Resources for 100% Access (SRLN 2015)
What is plain language?
As described by the federal government on plainlanguage.gov, plain language is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Plain language is recognized as an essential best practice in all access to justice initiatives. It is an especially important consideration in the development of forms and instructions, but the concepts can also guide simplification efforts.
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
Self-Represented Litigation Network