The Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) Plain Language Standard began its development in 2020 and had many significant changes after its public review in 2024. ASC released the standard on October 13, 2025, International Plain Language Day.
Iva Cheung and Laura Edlund, both Editors Canada members and members of Plain Language Association International (PLAIN), have been part of the ASC Plain Language Standard technical committee since it began and have been members of the technical committee’s writing group.
Iva Cheung and Laura Edlund will introduce the following:
- the standard and key features, including examples of guidance and support
- the context for the standard
- how this standard complements and compares with other standards, guidance, and resources (such as ISO 24495-1, the Web ContentAccessibility Guidelines or WCAG, and Editors Canada Professional Editorial Standards)
- common questions about the intersection of plain language andaccessibility, using standards, and the Accessible Canada Act
Presenters
Iva Cheung (ivacheung.com) is a Certified Professional Editor, cookbook indexer, publishing consultant, and mental health researcher. She is a winner of the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence, President’s Award for Volunteer Service, and Karen Virag Award for promoting the editing profession. A long-time plain language advocate and scholar, she joined ASC’s Plain Language Technical Committee in 2020 as an academic member. She is grateful to live on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples, including the Qayqayt First Nation.
Laura Edlund (lauraedlund.ca) is a Certified Structural Editor, Certified Stylistic Editor, writer, and consultant for hire. She specializes in education, plain language, and stories and works at UHN. She joined ASC’s Plain Language Technical Committee in 2020 as a business and industry member. She is grateful to live in Toronto, which is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.