Access4Success Disability Service

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability focusing on reading and writing. People with Dyslexia have trouble reading at a good pace and without mistakes. They may also struggle with comprehension, spelling, and writing. They may think in pictures instead of words, and retrieve information differently from a given situation. It is a varied condition, and no two people are the same. 

How can I support learners with Dyslexia?

Because Dyslexia affects people differently, there is no "one size fits all" approach you can take when supporting learners with Dyslexia. But there are things you can help not only Dyslexic learners but all learners in a class:

• Use lots of imagery as opposed to words
• Use Dyslexic friendly Fonts such as Arial or Comic Sans
• Font size should be between 12 - 14 with good line spacing
• Use single-colour backgrounds and dark text on white backgrounds if you are unable to change the background colour
• Use Left Aligning text without justification and avoid columns
• Use short, simple sentences with Active voice
• Encourage the use of Assistive Technology such as Audio Notetakers, Text to Speech and Speech to Text software

Links

Redefining Dyslexia

Adult Literacy and Numeracy Resources - Ako Aotearoa

Understanding Dyslexia - Inclusive Education

I have further questions...

Please get in touch with our Access4Success team. We would be happy to support you. You can find our details on the Contact Us page of this guide.