Simplepedia Final Write-up (Group)

Created by: Violet Monserate, Andrea Danila, Colin Lim, Erin Song, Crystal Reyes

Plain Language Introduction

What’s the Problem?

Plain language is writing in a way that everyone can understand. The goal is to make your message clear. Clear wording stops other people from getting confused. It also makes more people know what you’re saying.

There are a lot of rules to follow when using plain language. They include using common and short words, less technical words, and removing “it’s” or “don’t.” They also talk about the structure of the text. They say to use fewer bullet points, short paragraphs, and short sentences.

Plain English is important for disabled folk. It makes facts easier for people with cognitive or intellectual disabilities. Disabled people should have the same access to information that able-bodied folk have. Plain language helps folks with limited knowledge of the given topic. Plain language also helps those who know less about a language. Plain language helps everyone.

Lots of the internet needs more plain language. Wikipedia is a free online place to read about things. But most information is hard to understand. There can be too many long words. Many disabled people who need plain language can not get enough information online. The gap in information is true on Wikipedia.

There are three main issues.

1. Many Articles Are Missing

To make Wikipedia easier to understand, people made Simple Wikipedia. But it doesn’t have enough articles. English Wikipedia has over 61 million pages. Simple Wikipedia has only about 259,000. This means few writers made English Wikipedia into Simple English. Many of the missing articles are about disabilities. There are also missing pages about laws that disabled people.

There are also pages on Simple Wikipedia that are hard to understand. Those Wikipedia pages do not follow the principles of Plain Language.

We need writers to make these pages. This leads to the next part.

2. Not Enough Contributors

Contributors are people who want to add to Simple Wikipedia. These people are volunteers.

Simple Wikipedia needs more contributors. This makes the requests that users have hard to add. With so few contributors, the updates to pages about current events are slow. This makes it hard to follow current events with only Plain English.

Without contributors, it is easier for people to make harmful changes. Right now, only 363 people are active Simple Wikipedia contributors. In comparison, English Wikipedia has almost 40,000 active contributors.

One example of this problem is the “Vandalism in Progress” page. It is one of the most edited pages on Simple Wikipedia. This shows that people often report harmful edits. But there are not enough editors to fix all harmful changes.

3. Hard to Get Around Simple Wikipedia and Get Help

It is difficult to go around Wikipedia. There are lots of links to click. Many pages lead to more different pages. This can be confusing for users.

There is a page on Simple Wikipedia to ask for changes. People can request articles from at is missing on Simple Wikipedia. But requesting an article is very complicated. You have to know how to make edits to a Wikipedia page. Users have to do many button presses to do this. This is difficult for new users or people who don’t know computers well. Additionally, the website does not show all the missing articles.

Why Should We Solve It?

These problems make it hard for disabled people to find the facts they want and need. Simple Wikipedia does not give users these simple facts. This is because Simple Wikipedia is hard for readers and contributors to use. We need more articles and more people to help edit them! Also, there aren’t enough people editing Simple Wikipedia. This makes it hard to track:

It is also hard for new Wikipedia contributors to know where to start. There are too many articles that are not in plain language. Even if an article has a plain language translation, it’s hard to find comments from the original author.

Simple Wikipedia users should have a platform that works well. They also deserve access to information. New and old contributors should have an easy way to get involved. We should recognize and value their work. We need to solve this problem to make Simple Wikipedia better for everyone!

Positive Disability Principals

Ableism

The lack of contribution to Simple Wikipedia is a sign of structural ableism present on the internet. Wikipedia is an essential part of the internet because it contains much academic information that people can rely on for quick reference. Our algorithm identified that the categories science and medicine had the highest priority scores, meaning it needed a lot of simplified translations for content deemed necessary.

Part of this is due to the assumption that disabled people will not be or want to get involved in academic or scientific spaces. Thus, there is a common assumption that disabled folks don’t need these resources to exist in plain language, which is not valid! Assumptions like this are ableist because disabled people can and are involved in academic and scientific spaces; they deserve to learn about scientific topics on Wikipedia in plain language, just like any other non-disabled Wikipedia user in any other language.

Another issue is unchecked vandalism. As with any shared online resource, there will be people who gain delight from vandalizing existing structures. These can take the form of wanting to make a joke to show off to others, hatred, or simply boredom; nonetheless, vandalism will occur. The act of vandalism itself is ableist since it not only intentionally excludes folks from meaningful participation but also prohibits people who rely on plain language to access information.

By working on simple Wikipedia and streamlining the process, we contribute to dismantling the structural ableism present in society. There is a gap between what is present in plain language and what is accessible online. While we cannot fix it solely with simple Wikipedia contributions, this project aims to bridge this gap and reduce the prevalence of ableism in society.

Accessibility

Our project is accessible because we intentionally try to create everything in plain language. Our website incorporates links with descriptive titles directing users towards different resources to learn how to become Wikipedia contributors, the importance of plain language, and how to write good plain language.

Our website also has a simple interface and is accessible to different access technologies. When trying to define the scope of this project, we wanted to create a data visualization that was accessible. Although visualizations are tricky to make accessible, most visualizations require a mouse or visual processing abilities to understand what information the data is trying to convey. To avoid this, we implemented a visualization with direct interaction via simple filters and search functions. We also made sure to have non-visual indicators for meaning; for example, color-coded articles had text labels.

The project is also inherently accessible in its design because it focuses on broadening access to a wide range of disabled folk.

Disability-Led

Our first-person evidence also demonstrates our use of perspectives from folks with disabilities to guide our project. We are listening to the wide range of experiences in the disability community and consider people with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities who have a variety of cognitive functions affecting reading and comprehension and may have access needs met with plain language.

Disabled folk are also part of creating more simple Wikipedia pages by allowing them to request pages to be converted to plain language. This approach allows disabled people to decide what information is most important. The collaborative approach ensures that contributions to simple Wikipedia reflect the needs and priorities of people with disabilities to provide a sense of ownership over the content.

Agency

Enhancing the number of plain language Wikipedia articles centers the learning experience of folks with cognitive and learning disabilities by enabling them to take agency over their learning process. By providing a source of complete and informative articles, our project empowers people to engage with public knowledge without feeling the need to depend on external sources. It enables folks to learn these topics and gives them control.

Addressing the whole community

Finally, our project addresses the whole disability community through the development of plain language Wikipedia, especially concerning intersectionality. Having English as a second language or not knowing English at all adds further barriers to using English Wikipedia. Simple Wikipedia allows these folks to engage with content more readily. Additionally, improving the experience of Simple Wikipedia also increases the amount of users with multiple disabilities (e.g. cognitive or learning disabilities) interacting with the platform, whether it’s because the content is less distracting or easier to process based on the user’s needs. Therefore, by lowering the barriers to contributing and using Simple Wikipedia, our project aims to not only allow more users to access (especially disability-related) information but to expand the scope of contributors (thus, broadening the lived experiences, knowledge, and expertise of disabled folks).

Methodology and Results

What Did We Design/Implement?

Our team implemented a supplemental website called Simplepedia to help all users and contributors of Simple Wikipedia. Our website features a Home page that introduces the motivation behind Simplepedia for those who are both new and unfamiliar with Simple Wikipedia and plain language practices. Additionally, the Home page specifies a few of our team’s future goals for Simplepedia, such as streamlining the process for requesting pages or talking with other Simplepedia users.

Simplepedia also features a Resources page that provides plain language guidelines and internal and external frameworks to Simple Wikipedia. The current navigation system for Simple Wikipedia is unorganized, so our Resources page aims to bridge the gap for users unfamiliar with Wikipedia’s interface. This page also includes a frequently asked questions section with tips and answers that aren’t as accessible on Simple Wikipedia.

Although our final implementation was a tool meant to supplement Simple Wikipedia, our team could also practice our plain language skills by making our contributions. To build the data for our progress tracker, our team reviewed over 150 articles written in plain language to evaluate the translation. Not only did our team create translations for Simple Wikipedia articles, but we also wrote the entirety of Simplepedia in plain language.

Our website also has a Progress Tracker page, which is a way to prioritize articles needing plain language translation. To build the progress tracker, our team developed a defined set of metrics to evaluate and rank the articles in our database. We first collected data from articles across English and Simple Wikipedia, classifying them as vital or disability-related. Vital articles are essential across any language and cover foundational topics that avoid Western bias. Disability-related articles cater to topics related to disability resources, theory, and advocacy, which provide essential information for disabled users.

To prioritize articles, we developed a set of metrics that combined technical data from the Wikimedia API alongside manual peer reviews. Our metric considered the following factors:

Using the above metrics, we combined the data to calculate a “Priority Score” for each article. We considered articles with higher scores more critical to translate next. Using Python, JavaScript, HTML, and Observable, our team created an interactive data visualization to aggregate and explore the data our team collected. Users can filter articles by completeness level, category, sub-category, or article name. Users can also view different metrics and priority scores while accessing hyperlinks to both English and Simple Wikipedia articles.

As a result, the Progress Tracker page provides a straightforward way to prioritize articles for translation. Users can identify high-priority articles quickly, such as foundational vital articles or practical disability resources. The visualization tools make it easy to explore the data, track progress, and direct contributors to areas needing attention.

A webpage displaying a progress tracker for translation tasks on Simple Wikipedia. At the top, a title reads "Progress Tracker" with a subtitle: "Which article needs to be translated next? What is already complete? Explore Simple Wikipedia...". Below the header, there are three dropdown filters labeled: "Filter by Progress Made" with options such as "All Statuses", "Filter by Category" with options such as "All Categories", and "Filter by Sub-category" with options such as "All Sub-categories". There is a search bar below the filters, with a count showing "159 results" Below the search bar is a table. The columns are labeled by the following: "Progress Status", "Title", "Priority Score", "English Wiki", "Simple Wiki", "Popularity Index", "Disability Index", "Vitality Index". Each row in the table represents the following articles: "Education" and "Politics".

Disability Justice Analysis

Collective Access

Our project embodies the principle of collective access because we are creating an application that connects people of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. When translating technical and complex concepts related to accessibility, an in-depth understanding and background knowledge of the content are required. We aren’t just giving access to more folks but engaging the community to provide these resources for everyone.

For example, our Progress Tracker highlights which articles need translation or improvement and allows contributors to work collaboratively to address gaps across the categories we provide (ex., disability-related articles, vital articles, etc). Users can easily identify high-priority articles through interactive filters and priority metrics and contribute flexibly to the translation process. Additionally, since there are not many sub-categories, the exposure of all different groups currently in the list of subcategories is increased. Even if all users do not click on all of the different sub-categories, the initial exposure to the idea of those categories will linger and possibly push some users to explore and contribute to those articles.

Ultimately, a plain language alternative to Wikipedia pages goes beyond the normative basis in which Wikipedia finds itself. Instead of forcing disabled people to read Wikipedia with all its academic and verbose writing, we can create an alternative that ensures the best access for most people.

Anti-Capitalist Politics

We intentionally chose to contribute to Wikipedia’s source of articles in plain language writing due to its compatibility with anti-capitalist design principles. As an information distribution platform, volunteers create and update pages through labor provided by their volition to hold up Wikipedia. We aim to minimize class exploitation and not replicate the harmful, hierarchical systems found within capitalism. Educational resources have long operated within a capitalist, pay-to-win narrative that prohibits access only to those with the economic means (typically the ruling class). Through a decentralized, horizontal form of communication, we can move past capitalism and form a community where we do not conform to the expectations and exploits of society. Instead of serving the ruling class’s labor-intensive needs, we can serve one another and our collective needs for an accessible internet. The exigencies of disabled people begin with the dismantling of capitalist design.

Similarly, Simplepedia invites people to contribute their work by translating content. Hence, access to Wikipedia and our platform is not monetized, encapsulating the idea that when we create systems, we make them accessible to others without forsaking accessibility in pursuit of profit. Due to the collaborative nature of collective labor efforts, our mission is to create an application supporting a platform that subverts expectations under capitalism that we can use to help increase access.

Sustainability

Our project aims to be sustainable by pacing the progress of plain language translations using collective knowledge and experience as a guide. The scope of content is continually growing (as people learn and publish more information), and the translation process doesn’t happen overnight. Our project emphasizes steady progress and collaborative growth to ensure the translations users produce are reliable and correct. There is never “one” proper way to translate content into plain language, so our project aims to give people of all backgrounds the opportunity to contribute and learn from one another.

In addition, we help prevent the burnout and isolation found in open-source projects by creating a community and a central place for folks to come together. Our progress tracker offers a sense of organization and structure, which is supportive, especially for new contributors who may need help knowing where to start. It is also a good way to offer recognition and track what progress has been made already so contributors can feel proud of their efforts on Simple Wikipedia. It also helps to put into perspective what has already been accomplished. Since this work will be done after a period of time, it is vital to remind contributors that the collective effort allows this project to succeed no matter how small a contribution may be.

Our project aims to create a place to ask for help and assistance and a space for folks to assist one another in their tasking. Folks should build community and relationships that enable a robust, united front to address such a daunting, large-scale task. Only then can we ensure that our team’s goal of creating accessible and reliable content is a long-term mission that others carry out well into the future.

Learnings and future work

Throughout this project, we have learned about the complexities of Wikipedia and its sister sites, alongside the amount of dedicated work it takes to contribute to Simple Wikipedia. The beginning of our project started with us translating the articles we thought were most important about disability and disability justice. Translating these articles took longer than expected since we had to decode the original Wikipedia articles and convert the text to plain language or write our articles from scratch. Both options came with a need to know enough about the topic to differentiate between jargon and essential information.

Additionally, this made our team realize there are currently too many untranslated articles for five undergraduate students to handle. Our team had to prioritize core articles, but we realized it wasn’t enough for a translation to exist in Simple Wikipedia; often, the articles were incomplete or outdated. We observed that while Simple Wikipedia was targeted at being a more user-friendly Wikipedia, it was the opposite due to misinformation or lack of information in many cases.

We have many goals for the future of Simplepedia. The first and most prevalent is to continue contributing to Simple Wikipedia so that we can bring the overall percentages of articles up and make Simple Wikipedia a more reliable source. With our classification system, we have target articles to translate first alongside sub-topics that will closely follow those. Regarding our classification system, we know that no scale or rating system can be perfect, so we would like to continue refining it to match the needs of as many people as possible. This will take many iterations and constantly change, but the more eyes and time spent, the better. We also have two website goals, a request page and a talk page, which would be nice for our website since they would help navigate Simple Wikipedia’s cluttered pages.

Finally, as nice as having all of these resources and such in one place, it would be for naught if this website was not advertised or used in the first place. This could involve merging with Wikimedia so that word gets out about it and hopefully attracts more people to our website, but more importantly, for the growing need of Simple Wikipedia.