The CACTI Blog: Plain Language in Every Language
By Nicole Digonno, 2024 Interdisciplinary Approach to Disability in Professional Practice Intern
Receiving medical information can be a challenging experience. It is filled with jargon and complex medical terms. Often, patients leave appointments with more questions than when they came in. Having Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) adds a layer of complexity to this process.
During the Fall 2024 Semester, I had the opportunity to be an intern at the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities. I worked with a team to gather resources and make information available in an easily understandable format for people with IDD. My specific role on this team was to serve as a Spanish Translator. Receiving medical information in a second language can be very difficult, especially since it is already a stressful experience. I translated resources, graphics, and information into Spanish to help reduce some of that complexity. This gave me the opportunity to not only work on translating information from English to Spanish, but it also allowed me to take a step back and take very complex topics and make them easier to understand. Learning to write in plain language was a very valuable experience because it will help me become a better health care provider. I have learned to write and speak clearly, give information effectively, and not add complexity to things everyone should be able to understand. The ability to serve as a translator has helped me to apply plain language skills in English and in Spanish. Everyone should feel confident in the way they understand their own healthcare.
I was fortunate enough to go with the Sonoran Center to the Reid Park Zoo Dream Lights Night, where we spoke with families about resources offered by the Sonoran Center. As the Spanish translator, I was there to speak with families about these opportunities, and connect them with helpful resources. I saw first-hand how many people can use and benefit from what the Sonoran Center offers. I enjoyed giving out the resources because suddenly these graphics that we had been working on all semester were actually being given to people. It was a very nice full-circle moment and made the work we put into the semester a lot more meaningful.
I look forward to taking the skills I learned at the Sonoran Center into my future career as a healthcare professional. It has taught me that words matter. The way you phrase things is very important. Taking the time to make sure you are speaking and writing in plain language removes barriers to understanding medical information. Whether this is in English or in Spanish, I will keep this in mind in the future.
The CACTI Blog features the voices of our interdisciplinary trainees and Community Advisory Council members as they highlight diverse images of people with disabilities and provide community information and advocacy on disability issues. Check Out The CACTI Blog