Image courtesy of Christian Boer
A neurological condition is sweeping across the globe at an alarming rate and according to a UK study, approximately 10% of the world’s population is affected and another 4% is severely affected. There is no immediate cure; however there are therapies and resources that can be used to combat the effects.
If you are having a hard time reading this, you too may have a form of dyslexia. You may not have been diagnosed, but you may struggle with verbalizing thoughts, the speed at which you processes information, mental calculation and concentration. These are all characteristic features of someone who may have issues with reading, writing or even spelling to a degree. Thanks to Christian Boer, a Dutch graphic designer, we now have a new font at our disposal, Dyslexie, which can help with visual processing.
When reading a typical font, like this one, you may notice that letters like ‘b’, ‘d’ and ‘p’ are in a sense, the same letter, rotated into a different position. These are known as ‘twin letters’ and they can become difficult for someone with dyslexia to decipher when reading a document. Dyslexie was designed to remove ‘twin letters’ and create unique elements for each character so they can be distinguished amongst all the letters on a page, making them easier to read and process with fewer errors.
Boer has been able to corroborate that the font does improve reading for children and limits their deficiencies with assistance from researchers at the Univeristy of Twente and the University of Amsterdam who conducted the research and analyzed the results of the study.
Dyslexie is available for download on Boer’s website for free as long as it is not used for commercial purposes. If your struggle is real, I urge you to take advantage of the free download and make your reading a little more clear.
