ML20028F172

Affidavit of s Duplessis on Brochure, Plans to Help You During Emergencies. Individuals W/Sixth Grade Reading Skills Can Read Brochure,But Brochure Is Poorly Organized

ML20028F172
Person / Time
Site:	Waterford
Issue date:	01/26/1983
From:	Duplessis S JOINT INTERVENORS - WATERFORD
To:
Shared Package
ML20028F173	List: ML20028F172 ML20028F174
References
NUDOCS 8301310205
Download: ML20028F172 (6)

Text

DOCKETED L"IN!!C UNITED STATES

'83 d'JI28 MI:52 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In The Matter Of )

Louisiana Power and Light )

. Doc h et 60 ~382 Steam Electric Station )

Unit 3 )

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AFFIDAVIT OF SHARON DUPLESSIS i

Q.1 Please state your name, present position and educational attainments.

A.1 My name is Sharon Duplessis. I hold the position of Assistant Professor of Education at St. Mary's Dominican College. I presently teach courses entitled Elementary School Methods, Principles of Teaching. Elementary Peading Methods and Secondary Feading Methods.

Q.2 Have you reviewed the document entitled Plans to Help You During Emergencies? If so, please comment. ,

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A.2 Initially, I would like to consider the readability level of the revised brochure. In my opinion, the revisions that were made are positive ones.

Much of the non-essential infornation evident in the first brochure has been omitted in the revised edition. In addition, four 100 word samples from the prose section of the revised brochure indicate that the average reading difficulty of the prose section is now equivalent to sixth or seventh grade material. I want to stress, however, that while these revisions are positive, they are not sufficient. I will elaborate further.

Oonsider the layout of the brochure. Pages are no' numbered and I am assuming that the authors intendeo the reader to move in a left to right fashion.

The re f o re the following numbers could be applied to specific pages. .

Page Number Titles Appearing Top of Page 1 What To Do If You Hear Outside Sirens 2 A Message To our Neighbors and Friends 3 Emergency Action Plans 4 How Will You Be Told About the Emergency 5 What If You Are Told To Protect Your Breathing 6 What Radiation Is A chart, map and more prose follows as the reader unfolds the brochure.

I present this in order to clarify the intended reading sequence of the brochure (or question this sequence)

and to refer quickly to sections of the brochure during my testimony.

Twice during the reading of pages two through six, the reader must refer to the inside chart and map, busy :with information, and fold the brochure again to continue reading vital information.

A section entitled "What If You Were Told To Evacuate" on page five is followed by "What Radiation Is" on page six.

Consider bold headlines as important guides for readers. Many readers scan bold headlines of reading material to identify the "most important ihfor ma t ion" . This ability is crucial in the case of a major emergency. I realize the authors of this brochure urge the reading of the document prior to aniactual. emergency. In my opinion, those individuals who do not heed this advise will find great difficulty lin locating vital informat ion during the first reading of the brochure. As the reader scans headlines for important safety 'information on the fold out pages and the chart and map inside, he/she will find many headlines of equal size and similar titles to choose from. These include:

Emergency Action Plans (page 3)

What Are The Actions You Might Need To Take?(page 4)

What If You Are Told To Evacuate? (page 4)

What To Do If You Hear the Outdoor Sirens? (page 1)

(a title that appears twice)

Follow These Steps To Get Ready For the Trip (appearing inside the brochure)

This may " overload" and confuse the scanning reader, particulary if he/she is more anxious than usual.

Another factor adding confusion to the task of locating vital information in a calm and easy fashion is the equal size of print used in the major headings as well as sub-headings. It is important that information presented in the brochure be divided into only a few major categories with few major headings.

Consider the detail and repetition contained in the document. Repetition is often a desirable characteristic of effective teaching but only adds to the wordiness of this brochure, making 1,t more difficult for the reader to disembed important facts. Three times there appears the same listing of parish offices, addresses and phone numbers to be contacted for further information. The reader must examine the brochure closely to realize that there are only three sources for more information , not nine, Radio stations are listed four times in four different sections of the brochure. Readers are asked over and over again in the brochure to stay tuned to their televisions and radios.

All of this repetition adds significantly to the amount of print a reader must read through to identify the most important steps to take in case of an emergency.

Consider definitions of terms which is vital to reading comprehension. Terms such as " reception center" and " pickup points" are not clearly defined before used in context. " Reception Centers" I

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are defined on page five, yet included on the chart readers are referred to at the bottom of page three. Also, are schools equal to pickup points? This is unclear as you read one column of the chart entitled " Schools and Pickup Points".

This question remains unanswered until the last line of point six of the section entitled "Try This Example" is read. This section appears alongside the map and not the chart.

Consider the readability of the chart and map.

The chart may contain the most important information in the entire brochure in that it tells the reader Jhich streets and routes to take in order to evacuate the area. This information appears in the smallest print contained in the brochure.

It also remains black and white, not color coded and coordinated with the matching map.

Explanations of how to use the chart do not appear adjacent to the chart. This information can be found alongside the map under the unsuitable title of "Try This Example" . Also, there are no pictures or symbols utilized in the chart to aid those persons reading below the sixth grade level (which is the approximate grade level of words contained in the chart).

Many features of the map which accompanies the chart are clearly informative. Points of confusion include:

1. Pickup Points and arrows represent vital information yet do not stand out from other information (i.e. in color or sizr).

2. Locations of specific pickup points are unclear since they are not named and intersecting streets, etc., are not identified on the map or in the prose sections of the brochure.

For example, An individual is meeting family members at John L. Dry Elementary School u but does not know how to get there. Which pickup point in his/her colored area of the map is Ory School and what streets would he/she use in order to get there?

Although I do not believe this brochure would be difficult to read for individuals with sixth grade reading skills, I do find it to be poorly organized when the ' purpose of the doct. ment is considered. In the case of an emergency, a reader should have quick and easy access to the most important information in this brochure. Brief instructions, clearly categorized, should be arranged in the order in which they are to be carried out in. In my opinion, this brochure needs major revisions to meet these criteria.

All answers are sworn and true to the best of my ability.

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