My Lingo
Accessible healthcare information for adults with unmet literacy and language needs.
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“Thank you all for your hard work on the My Lingo Project” - Facilitator
This project aimed to make healthcare information in hospitals more accessible to adults with unmet literacy needs and for non-native English speakers. Three hospitals pooled their resources to produce information booklets. These booklets make it easier for people to understand and use healthcare environments.
The three hospitals and Kilkenny Adult Literacy Service (KCETB) met in early 2024 To develop the My Lingo booklet .
The My Lingo translation booklets contain pictures, icons, and useful phrases that people can use while being admitted to hospital.
My Lingo is translated into 8 languages. It greatly improves communication between service users and healthcare professionals.
The St. Luke’s General Hospital Carlow/Kilkenny Patient and Visitor Information Guide patient is written in Plain English. It explains various health pathways people can take while in hospital.
These information booklets help hospitals to support the language and literacy needs of their patients.
The booklet helps hospital staff to better communicate and provide a better care experience for patients.
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The My Lingo booklet was shortlisted for an Irish Healthcare Service Award.
This project was a collaboration between St. Luke’s General Hospital Carlow Kilkenny, South Tipperary University Hospital, and Wexford General Hospital. Kilkenny Adult Literacy Service at Kilkenny Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB) supported embedding the plain language and universal design approach for the project.
For more information about the project, please contact Helen Walsh, Regional Literacy Coordinator in Kilkenny Carlow ETB, at helenm.walsh@kilkennycarlowetb.ie
The Adult Literacy for Life Collaboration and Innovation Fund
The Collaboration and Innovation Fund supports projects for adults with unmet literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs and projects that support organisations to be literacy friendly. The closing date for 2024 applications has now passed but keep an eye out for information on our 2025 fund which will be launched in December.
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