Picture an adult who has been invited to a civic workshop in their city. They arrive motivated, curious, perhaps a little uncertain. Then the materials are handed out: dense paragraphs, technical vocabulary, long sentences that seem to fold back on themselves, and something quietly closes. Not the door, which remains open. But the possibility of genuine participation.
This is not a rare scenario. According to the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), on average 20% of the EU adult population have low literacy and numeracy skills, with figures rising sharply among older adults, migrants, and people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (EAEA, 2013). A broader reading of the same data reveals that 49% of adults aged 16 to 65 across participating countries do not reach a desirable level of literacy; defined as the ability to understand, evaluate, use, and engage with written texts in order to participate in society (OECD, 2013). And PIAAC goes further still, showing a clear relationship between literacy levels and civic life: adults with lower literacy proficiency are significantly less likely to report a sense of political efficacy, to trust institutions, or to vote (OECD, 2013). The message is uncomfortable but clear: literacy is not simply a learning issue. It is a democracy issue.
This is the challenge the CITRUS project takes on. By combining art, augmented reality, and non-formal education, CITRUS aims to build civic competences in adults across five European countries; media literacy, cultural diversity, ethical decision-making, and the capacity to engage with democratic life. But an ambition this broad can only be meaningful if the tools it produces are accessible to everyone, including the many adults who find complex written content difficult to navigate. This is where Easy-to-Read and Plain Language principles enter the picture — not as a technical footnote, but as a core commitment.
Plain language is a way of writing that uses everyday vocabulary, short sentences, and clear structure so that readers can understand content the first time they encounter it (EPALE, 2024). It does not mean simplifying ideas, it means respecting the reader enough to communicate clearly.
The “Clear Writing for Europe 2023” conference in Brussels made exactly this argument at a European level, calling on public administrations to simplify their language so that all citizens can participate more fully in democratic life. Easy-to-Read goes a step further, applying more structured formatting rules — one idea per sentence, supporting visuals, generous white space — developed in direct collaboration with people with intellectual disabilities. Both approaches rest on the same conviction: the responsibility for comprehension belongs to the writer, not the reader. Content that is inaccessible is never neutral. It excludes.
CITRUS takes this seriously in practice. The project’s flagship tool, the Civic Art Heritage Gallery App, will be available in six languages and will include a full Easy-to-Read version of all its content: artwork descriptions, educational materials, instructions, surveys. It is being designed to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and the educator toolbox will include concrete guidance for practitioners on how to produce accessible content for adults with reading difficulties.
The stakes of getting this right are particularly high in civic education. Unlike many other fields, civic topics, such as rights, democracy, protest, media, are routinely communicated in language that assumes a reader who is already informed and already engaged. The result is a quiet paradox: the people who most need civic education are the ones least likely to be reached by the way it is delivered. Research has consistently shown that adult learning can increase trust, foster civic co-operation, and strengthen democratic attitudes (Feinstein et al., 2008) but only when the learning itself is genuinely accessible. The EAEA’s analysis of PIAAC data adds another layer of urgency here, describing a feedback loop that is difficult to break: adults with low literacy are less likely to engage in learning, so their skills decline further, making future engagement even harder. Accessible, well-designed civic education can interrupt this cycle, but only if accessibility is built in from the start, not added as an afterthought.
Technology is increasingly an ally in this work. The EPALE article notes that artificial intelligence now offers real possibilities for expanding the use of plain language at scale, much as translation tools have broadened multilingual access to resources (EPALE, 2024). Erasmus+ projects like Text it Easy and Simpl4All are already exploring this intersection. Within CITRUS, the choice of augmented reality as the primary medium is itself an accessibility decision: by combining text with image, sound, and interactivity, it creates multiple entry points for learners who might struggle with text-heavy formats alone.
The EAEA identifies three scenarios that threaten Europe if adult literacy is left unaddressed: a Europe of unequally skilled adults, a Europe of socially excluded groups, and a Europe of passive citizens (EAEA, 2013). Easy-to-Read and Plain Language principles will not resolve these challenges on their own. But they represent something essential; a refusal to design civic education for an imaginary ideal reader, and a commitment to reaching the actual, diverse, imperfect human beings who make up European society. The CITRUS project’s decision to embed accessibility at every level of its design is, in this sense, a political act as much as a methodological one. Civic education that cannot be read by everyone is not really civic education at all.
References
EAEA (2013). PIAAC – OECD Survey of Adult Skills: A Wake-Up Call for Europe! Brussels: EAEA.
EPALE (2024, May 21). Facilitating access to knowledge and culture using plain language and artificial intelligence. https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/facilitating-access-knowledge-and-culture-using-plain-language-and-artificial-intelligence
Feinstein, L., Budge, D., Vorhaus, J. and Duckworth, K. (2008). The social and personal benefits of learning. London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning.
OECD (2013). Skilled for Life? Key Findings from the Survey of Adult Skills. Paris: OECD.
Preston, J. and Feinstein, L. (2004). Adult Education and Attitude Change – Report No. 11. London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning.