by smokey_the_bear
5 subcomments
- My 11 year old daughter uses the open dyslexic font in her kindle. She has dyslexia, and also had to do some vision therapy when she was younger. She thinks she is able to read for longer with fewer headaches. She specifically has trouble tracking line to line.
She finds it very challenging to read her school textbooks, which are provided online on her Chromebook with a bad screen. I bought her paper versions of the same books.
- This might be anecdotal evidence. But seeing this is really jarring, as I find the Dyslexia font actually easier to read. My girlfriend actually has dyslexia and also finds it easier to read. (maybe it is just more comfortable to read, not necessarily faster? Same with dvorak vs qwerty)
There are more and more cases where my personal experience seems to contradict with science. And I am not sure what to make of that.
by SeeMePlease
0 subcomment
- When people talk about “dyslexic fonts”, they’re usually referring to two main players: Dyslexie (the original, proprietary font) and OpenDyslexic (its open-source cousin). We haven’t conducted a statistically representative study focused solely on dyslexic or neurodivergent users to test these fonts in isolation. However, across years of real-world user testing with diverse cohorts, one pattern has been remarkably consistent: we’ve never observed a single person choose a dyslexic font as their preference when it’s available, nor express a desire for it.
Kuster et al. (2018) — Dyslexie font does not improve reading performance
Journal of Learning Disabilities.
International Dyslexia Association (IDA) — Dyslexia Basics & Reading Interventions
https://dyslexiaida.org
At face value, the idea of a dyslexic font makes sense. Dyslexia was long (and incorrectly) framed as a problem of letter flipping and visual confusion, so the logic followed that heavier, more distinctive, or asymmetrical letterforms might reduce perceptual errors. But modern research paints a different picture. Studies have found that the Dyslexie font did not improve reading speed, accuracy, or comprehension compared to standard fonts (1), while broader research synthesised by the International Dyslexia Association makes clear that the primary challenges in dyslexia lie in phonological decoding and language processing, not simply confusing a b for a d [2]. Changing letter shapes alone doesn’t meaningfully address how the brain processes written language.
That doesn’t make these fonts useless. Some individuals genuinely prefer them, and personal preference matters. They’ve also been valuable in prompting conversations about dyslexia, readability, and inclusive design, which is undeniably a good thing. But when dyslexic fonts are positioned in sales decks as a meaningful accessibility intervention, scepticism is warranted. If you’re serious about investing time and money in accessibility, the evidence consistently suggests that effort is far better spent on content clarity, spacing, layout, plain language, and overall usability than on a font that promises far more than it can deliver.
In short: an interesting conversation starter, but if someone’s selling it as a silver bullet, there’s a strong chance you’re being sold snake oil.
- I am diagnosed with dyslexia. I was learning to read before computer displays where a thing. I tried dyslexia fonts on my kindle and also on my computer. I have not found these font to be more readable. I have problems following the line of letters with and without the fonts. Perhaps there are different types of dyslexia all called the same but with different problems. Sorry for my English , I’m not a native speaker
- Since dyslexia exists on a spectrum, it's not surprising that no single dyslexia font shows consistent benefits in controlled studies. Fonts may still affect comfort or personal preference for some individuals, which isn't the same as consistent gains.
- I have dyslexia, and I hate them. It makes me read slower and not better.
I do have two friends who like it. Maybe it's subjective?
Either way, I'm very happy people put effort in developing reading aids like this.
- As a non dyslexic I find these fonts "easier" on the eye when reading for longer periods of time despite not liking them aesthetically (I don't hate them either). However, I am in my 40s and my eyes are starting to fail me, I may need an eye prescription but can still read without glasses.
by in_a_hole
3 subcomments
- > "Contrary to popular belief, the core problem in dyslexia is not reversing letters (although it can be an indicator),” she writes. The difficulty lies in identifying the discrete units of sound that make up words and “matching those individual sounds to the letters and combinations of letters in order to read and spell.”
The more I hear about dyslexia the more it sounds like the result of not being taught to read properly rather than any kind of neurological issue.
by interloxia
1 subcomments
- “Contrary to popular belief, the core problem in dyslexia is not reversing letters (although it can be an indicator),”
I always assumed the visual processing limitations were part of the issue with the reversal/transcription problem. A sort of neurological sequencing disorder swapping out the correct visual sense with a mistake. Xerox style. One that the dyslexic font wouldn't help with.
If that's apparently not dyslexia, or part of their spectrum, what is it if it is a processing disorder that remains into adulthood?
They come across rather dismissively when their own links, as far as I clicked at least, were less firm. I do appreciate that visual aids hawked to parents are not going to help for this issue either. I would like a name for the thing which is so importantly not Dislexia.
by imperio59
1 subcomments
- Please please please, if you have young kids learning to read or who will need to soon, educate yourself by listening to the "Sold a Story" podcast from NPR (it's on Spotify and other places).
There is so much bullshit out there about how kids should be taught to read, and too many schools unfortunately still use wrong methods disproven by science.
What works is phonics, old, tried and true. If your school isn't teaching it, you need to do it yourself at home or your kids risk never being good readers.
by wafflemaker
0 subcomment
- Once I got a Kindle I fooled around with settings and tried out all the fonts. Was surprised that there was one that was not "annoying" and let me read faster.
Fast forward a few years and I've had my eyes checked and found that I have mild astigmatism (0.25 left and 0.5 right).
Now I have a font that I can still read without glasses (but mostly in bed and with slightly larger text).
- Dyslexia is just the overall name for a learning disability that causes difficulty with reading or writing. There is no unified cause or group of causes, it's all based on symptoms.
Therefore, the only things that will "work" for all dyslexics are things that fundamentally make reading and writing easier for everyone and not just dyslexics. So something like a font can help in the same way some fonts are easier to read than others, but the idea of a "dyslexia font" is a little silly.
by al_borland
0 subcomment
- I had read in the past about these fonts being mostly snake oil, and how studies showed that simply having large text showed more benefits than the dyslexic fonts. Based on this article, it sounds like that’s due to large fonts being easier to read for everyone.
- I have dyslexia, and perhaps its because I developed a lot of mechanics to handle it, I don't find the font useful, it doesn't resolve any of the issues I have, and I find Console fonts more appealing.
by homeonthemtn
0 subcomment
- I have a dyslexic friend who made leaps and bounds progress when given a paperwhite with dyslexic font. They were giddy the first time they saw it.
So, I'm a believer
by heliumtera
0 subcomment
- They don't. You wanna know what really really works? Not overriding my preferred font and colors scheme.
- > For better reading outcomes, font size should be between 12 and 14 points
- i've read that comic sans actually beats out most dyslexia fonts