Abstract
<jats:p>Diverse perceptions require different approaches to presenting textual information. Due to respecting human rights to obtain reliable information and data by any legal means, it is necessary to create a barrier-free communication environment for different groups of people. One of the most common ways to ensure accessibility is translating texts written in standard languages into an Easy-to-read language accessible to a wider audience.</jats:p> <jats:p>Easy-to-Read texts (ETR) have become a common practice in different countries for text adaptation, making information accessible to a wider audience through simplification. This article observes the experience of creating Easy-to-Read texts according to Inclusion Europe standards for accessibility in cultural institutions, by the example of the Yeltsin Center Art Gallery (Yekaterinburg).</jats:p> <jats:p>The aim of this study is to analyze the experience of preparing ETR texts at the Yeltsin Center Art Gallery as a way to improve accessibility and implement inclusive policies in a cultural institution. The study uses theoretical and empirical methods. In addition to analyzing international and Russian methodological guidelines on Easy-to-Read, the article presents the Art Gallery team’s experience, accumulated since the creation of the first adapted texts in 2017. The article outlines the key features of ETR texts based on example of an adapted text from one of the Art Gallery’s exhibitions, as well as the stages of its preparation, based on the English-language rules established by Inclusion Europe for the Easy-to-Read standard and the Russian-language guidelines of the Belarusian Association for Assistance to Disabled Children and Young People with Disabilities. Particular attention is paid to the source texts subject to further adaptation because many texts written by curators or other introductory texts for art projects are filled with various means of expression that convey the author’s main idea. The task of the cultural institution’s team in such cases is to create the report of an image in that way which will lead to adaptation. Furthermore, the work presents staff responses to frequently asked questions about ETR texts, which may be useful for cultural managers to understand how to implement one of the tools for inclusive space.</jats:p> <jats:p>In relation to the discussions about the implementation of ETR standards for the Russian language at the legislative level, addresses the need to include possible exceptions in future rules. The described process of preparing adapted texts, using the example of the Yeltsin Center Art Gallery team, demonstrates that each ETR text is unique due to the audience for whom the text is created, the exhibition, the curatorial concept and its presentation methods, and the art component of the project.</jats:p>