As I was writing Nicole’s first book (I Dreamed About a Hippopotamus in a Lipstick Factory), I discovered an amazing font. I was watching an interview with Lin Oliver, who co-writes the Hank Zipzer series with Henry Winkler, a well-known actor who has dyslexia. During the interview, she referenced a font called the Dyslexie font. It was created by Christian Boer, a graphic designer with dyslexia. This font was intended for dyslexic readers; however, I believe it also beneficial for any struggling reader.
My first impression was that each letter is distinct and easy to identify. My daughter struggled from an early age with being able to pace herself when reading. Sentences would go on forever because she didn’t recognize where to stop and start. This font made it possible to do so. Even though she has not been identified as dyslexic, she finds that the Dyslexie font helps her eyes better focus on the letters and has made it part of her study protocol to write her notes and study sheets using the Dyslexie font. You can see the difference between two standard fonts and the Dyslexie font below.
There was a lot of interest in the Dyslexie font during my book signings. If anyone identified themselves as dyslexic, I would ask them to read something from Nicole’s book to see if it made a difference – and it did! People were surprised and pleased that there was something that could help make reading easier. Older readers said that it would have been nice to have this font while they were growing up! Watching their reactions reaffirmed my decision to have all of my books written using this font.
Here is an interesting video by the founder of the Dyslexie font. You will find “Christian Boer | Changing Dyslexia One Letter at a Time: Drawing Insights from Experience” engaging and insightful. He talks about his personal experiences growing up with dyslexia and how the Dyslexie font came to be. You can find his presentation here: . Please take a moment to listen and spread the word about this necessary tool that helps not only those dealing with dyslexia but anyone who struggles with reading.
Other helpful links
The dyslexie font http://www.dyslexiefont.com
The typeface that helps dyslexics read https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20171204-the-typeface-that-helps-dyslexics-read
Actor Henry Winkler talks about his struggles with dyslexia and how he is sharing those experiences through inspiring stories written in the Dyslexie font! http://on.msnbc.com/1wDOHOB
A video interview with Lin Oliver and Henry Winkler https://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/winkler-oliver