Tech Tips for Readers with Dyslexia

How Online Tools may Help Ease the Strain

Most people think that dyslexia looks like kids reversing b’s and d’s, but there is more that is going on for these students. When you put the right tools in front of your students, you can see incredible growth in a short period of time. The best part is that these tools are free for teachers, parents and kids, helping to make reading more accessible for everyone.

Specialised Fonts

The first tool is called open dyslexic font. Have you ever noticed that the width of capital letter L and lowercase letter l look the same? With the open dyslexic font, each letter has its own shape and has a heavier weight at the bottom. This makes the letters easier to recognise and allows the dyslexic brain to translate the correct letter quickly. This relieves the stress of trying different combinations to figure out the word.

When you ask a person with dyslexia which font they prefer, the Open Dyslexic font or Comic Sans, they typically will tell you the Open Dyslexic font. There has been a ton of debate on whether the dyslexic font makes kids a better reader but this article focuses on what people with dyslexia preferabout which one is easier on their eyes and less of a strain for them.

Here is an example: preference.

You can download the font at https://opendyslexic.org/ or you can add it as an extension for your browser.

Coloured Backgrounds

Some students also have Irlen’s Syndrome. This is a processing disorder, not related to problems with vision, but can look similar to the types of mistakes made by those with dyslexia. These kids are bothered by glare that occurs from reading with a white background. They are sensitive to certain colours - simply changing the background colour from white to one they prefer can make it easier for them to process the written word.

In classrooms, teachers have used coloured overlays for these students. Online, you can change the page colour if you are using programs like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

In Microsoft, type page colour in the search bar. Then, simply choose the colour that your student prefers. For Google Docs, click on File. Then select Page Setup. Toward the bottom you will see Page Colour. Select the colour that your student prefers.

Conclusion

More and more tools are being created and developed to offer equal access to print online. By giving kids choices in what settings they prefer when reading online, they can access the print in a way that will make them less tired, increase their focus and put less strain on their brain. Check out these tools today to support your readers!

Immersive Reader

Microsoft has gone above and beyond making text accessible to all readers. They have created a tool called “immersive reader” that allows you to change the text, the font and the page colour all in one place. With an immersive reader, you can quickly choose the size of the text, spacing between words and the colour of the background. You can also break words by syllables and have a picture dictionary when you move your cursor over a word. For a person with dyslexia, trying to decipher a word by the definition alone can be difficult. Using a visual dictionary allows the reader to continue reading more easily.

Within the immersive reader menus, there is also a line focus tool. In the classroom, students may utilise a ruler to follow the lines on the page. With immersive reader, students can choose to highlight lines to stay focused and not repeat what has already been read.

Joanne Kaminski is a highly experienced former teacher and Reading Specialist with over two decades of expertise. She now serves as an online reading tutor and founder of the Online Tutor Coach. Joanne helps other tutors grow their businesses by teaching them how to attract more students. With over 20,000 followers on her YouTube channel, Facebook Group, Instagram, and podcast, she is a respected authority in the industry. She can be reached at: jbkaminski@gmail.com