From DHS Connect on Jan 13th
DHS.gov Improves Its Plain Language Scores
On Jan. 9, DHS.gov received multiple “A” grades on the 2022 Federal Plain Language Report Card from the Center for Plain Language for our use of plain language and compliance with the Plain Writing Act of 2010. The Act requires that federal agencies use clear government communication that the public can understand and use. This is the 11th yearly report card evaluating how well agencies follow the Plain Writing Act.
DHS received an A+ for organizational compliance (covering the staffing, training, and annual reporting requirements required by the Plain Writing Act) and received an A- for writing quality, which focuses on how easy it is to find, understand, and use information the public needs. For the writing grade, the main Contact Us page and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) page on DHS.gov were evaluated. Our FOIA page was highlighted as an excellent model for other federal agencies to follow. The overall average writing grade for other federal agencies was a C.
None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the DHS headquarters Office of Public Affairs web team – especially DHS.gov content manager Aunica Brockel, intern Lauren Milner, and OCIO Solutions Development Directorate usability specialist Brittany Kouandjio. The group worked diligently and consistently to promote a “customer first” content strategy on DHS.gov that relies heavily on the use of plain language, and this report shows that we’re rising to that challenge and succeeding at the highest level for the federal government.
Learn more about plain language federal guidelines, find resources, and more on plainlanguage.gov.
