A parent introduced me to a new typeface that I love. It’s called Dyslexie Font. The typeface was created in 2008 by Christian Boer. Boer is dyslexic and wanted to create a font that made it easier for people like him to read. In the past few years this font has gotten a lot of hype. There is lots of disagreement about if it truly helps and some studies have come back saying, no. This made me curious. So I went to one of our students who struggles with dyslexia and asked her to compare 2 tests I had made. One used the dyslexie font and one did not. She said that the one with the dyslexie font was easier to read. When I asked why she explained things like having larger spaces between the words, more white space, fewer words on a line, etc. The things she listed were not magical to Dyslexie font and you can absolutely include them using Helvetica or another font. But, then I started thinking, “How often do I do that?”
I’m still not sure that Dyslexie Font is a magical typeface that makes the challenges of reading with dyslexia go away, but it did help me to be a more intentional teacher when it came to helping my students who struggle with dyslexia.
Concerns
I’ve touched on this in the write-up above, but my fear is that teachers will assume that this font will solve all the issues for a student struggling with dyslexia. That is not true at all. The font is a good way to start, but it should inspire teachers to think about other steps they can take to help make their classroom more dyslexia friendly. There are tons of resources out there to help, but one I found helpful innitially was: http://demystifyingdyslexia.weebly.com/index.html
Sample Uses
This is a font, so you can simply use it to replace any other font you would use. I’ve currently used it on tests and worksheets that I create on my computer.
Do I plan to use it?
I’ve started already!
Commitment and Learning Curve
LOW! – the only challenge is knowing how to install a new font on your computer.
Best for ES MS or HS?
ES/MS/HS
Cost
Free! – for personal use
$89- for whole school use
Website Link:
http://www.dyslexiefont.com/