The Spanish Government has approved new regulations to make information and services easier to understand for people with disability.

Announced recently, the changes focus on Easy Read, plain language and other ways of making information more accessible, particularly for people who have difficulty understanding complex information.

The regulations cover everyday services such as healthcare, public transport, telecommunications, government services, employment and voting.

They include the use of Easy Read, plain language, audio, pictograms and other visual supports to help people find and understand the information they need.

The changes will particularly benefit people with intellectual disability, autism and acquired brain injury, as well as older people and others who may find complex information difficult to understand.

Government forms, application instructions and information about using public websites and apps will also need to be easier to follow. The regulations extend to healthcare services, cultural institutions and other public services.

The new regulations are scheduled to take effect on 2 January 2027.

What could this mean for Australia?

Spain’s decision raises an important question about how accessible information is provided in Australia, particularly across government websites, healthcare, disability services and other essential services.

Australia already has accessibility obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, while the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide an important framework for making digital content accessible.

In Western Australia, government accessibility guidance also recommends the use of plain English and alternative formats, including Easy Read, to help make information more accessible.

However, meeting technical accessibility standards does not automatically mean that information is easy to read or understand.

For example, a government website might work well with a screen reader but still contain complicated language, lengthy forms or instructions that are difficult to follow.

Plain language and Easy English can help address these barriers, particularly for people with intellectual disability, cognitive disability or lower literacy levels.

While Spain’s new regulations do not change Australian law, they provide an example of how governments can introduce more specific requirements for cognitive accessibility, building on existing approaches to accessible communication.

For Australia, this could encourage further discussion about making Easy English, plain language and other accessible formats more widely available across government services and digital platforms.

For more information, read the Spanish Government’s announcement about the new cognitive accessibility regulations.

Please note: The announcement is in Spanish, but you can use your browser’s translation feature to read it in English.