Authors: Allison Dahl
Mentors: Dallin Bailey
Insitution: Brigham Young University
Using members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a case study, this research explores text reformatting that may address the unmet needs of religious people with aphasia. Aphasia is a language disability that sometimes occurs after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. It can affect both expressive and receptive language, including reading ability. Several studies have already explored what text adaptations are generally preferred by or aid comprehension in this group. However, the unique regard of sacred text may elicit different needs and preferences for those experiencing aphasia. For example, although text adaptation for people with aphasia often includes text simplification, some may find inherent spiritual value in the original wording of scriptural text. Therefore, in this study, other adaptation options are explored, such as font changes and verse spacing. Passages from texts considered holy in the Church of Jesus Christ, such as the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon, have been reformatted in potentially helpful ways. Latter-day Saints with aphasia are being recruited to give feedback on these samples. They will indicate their formatting preferences on a visual scale, and their comments and feedback will also be coded qualitatively. This research will provide guidelines on what text adaptations are most appropriate and helpful for religious texts. Although the samples are specifically geared towards members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the design principles may prove useful for texts used in other faiths as well.