You have a lot of great information on this website. Unfortunately, my dyslexic husband has a hard time reading so much. He can better read material that is ALL CAPITALS or in a simple font such as Helvetica and that has more spacing between the lines of text. Perhaps you could develop some basic information that is set in a format better accessible to dyslexics?

Unfortunately, the preferences of dyslexic people vary considerably. For example, it is unusual for someone to be better at reading all capitals. Generally, this makes text much harder to read, both for non-dyslexics and dyslexics. Also, some dyslexic people are tremendously confused by sans-serif fonts, which make it difficult to distinguish a capital "I" from the lower-case 'l' for example.

Thus, we have chosen to make our web site easy for the user to customize. We do not specify the font used on most of our pages. Instead, the font size and face can be controlled by setting the preferences in your own browser. If you do not like the font you are looking at right now, the problem is with the default setting of your browser. If you have Netscape Communicator or MS Explorer, there are also menu options that allow you to enlarge or reduce fonts without making permanent changes to your settings.

Another problem is that colors do not render consistently from one computer monitor to the next. Thus, the choice of any color background could cause readability problems to some users. We set a white background on most of our pages, because otherwise many browsers default to gray. (It is hard to read black text against a gray background). However, you can easily choose another background color, again through resetting the preferences on your browser.

We also do not use background images or patterns, flashing text, or animated graphics. All of these can make reading more difficult.

We have also tried to make our pages readable in text only format, and compatible with speech-synthesizing software. For that reason, we do not capitalize words or phrases. Many speech-syntesizer programs will read a capitalized word letter-by-letter. We have tested our site with a Windows shareware program called "Reader," which can be downloaded for a 60-day free trial from:

https://www.islandnet.com/~tslemko/reader.htm

More information about software products which help enhance readability is on our web site links page indexed under Software Tools to Help Dyslexic People..

You can find more written about accessibility at our site at our Site Guide page.

I'm a Swedish student studying computer science and technology at Lund University. We have recently started a course called Netability. My group has chosen to make a homepage about our education program. The main problem is how should a homepage be created so that people with dyslexia will get the most out of the page?

• Dyslexic people who use computer speech output technology:
  Like many visually-impaired users, many dyslexics now rely on computers to read the text to them. Thus pages should be designed to be compatible with most screen readers. All important information should be conveyed in text, as computers can not read or interpret graphic images.
• Dyslexics who need clear graphics and distortion-free text:
  Other dyslexic individuals, who are reading your site on their own, will appreciate clear, simple, and consistent graphic navigational icons. They will be troubled by flashing text, variations in fonts, distracting sounds or animations, and textured or patterned backgrounds.

Here are some of my ideas for making web pages dyslexic-friendly:

1. Keep paragraphs short, and use a small amount of text on each page. If a long article is posted, create a topic index at the beginning, so that the dyslexic reader can quickly narrow in on the parts that interest him or her.
2. Use default font settings. That way, a user can choose their own preferred font with their browser. Many dyslexics find they read best with one particular font.
3. Keep your text left-justified. It is very hard to read paragraphs where all lines are centered or which are right-justified.
4. Use a consistent layout and format throughout the site. It helps to have navigation aids laid out consistently on every page.
5. Do not include links within the general text. Instead, list them one below the other, after the relevant paragraph or section. Be sure to clearly describe the type of information or site the link will lead to.
6. Use small icons to help with navigation between frequently used web pages. There should also be a text alternative for navigation (or the 'alt' tag should be used), for those individuals who rely on computers to read the page contents to them.
7. Never use flashing text. Do not use animated or moving graphics unless the animation is necessary to illustrate important information, such as an animation demonstrating how a machine works. Even so, it is best to place the animation on a different page, or to set it up to start only when clicked.
8. Avoid using background images behind text. Make sure that there is a good contrast between the color of the background and the color of text.
9. Do not set up background music to play, unless the site gives the user a choice whether to turn it on.

   Sites that are designed to be easy for dyslexics are also easy for others to use and navigate. Market research shows that most people find it harder to read on a computer screen than from printed sources, so many non-dyslexic people will appreciate the dyslexic-friendly format.

   Abigail Marshall, DDAI

   Share your ideas about designing for dyslexic readers:

   Join the ongoing discussion at the Dyslexia Discussion Board.