OpenDyslexic

OpenDyslexic
Category Sans-serif
Designer(s) Abelardo Gonzalez[1]
Date released 2011[1]
License Bitstream Vera Fonts Copyright[2]
Design based on Bitstream Vera Sans[2]
Sample
Shown here OpenDyslexic 3 Regular
Website opendyslexic.org
Screenshot of this Wikipedia page, set in OpenDyslexic typeface
An example of OpenDyslexic typeface

OpenDyslexic is a free typeface/font designed to mitigate some of the common reading errors caused by dyslexia. The typeface was created by Abelardo Gonzalez, who released it through an open-source license.[3] The design is based on that of DejaVu Sans, also an open-source font.

Like many dyslexia-intervention typefaces, most notably Dyslexie, OpenDyslexic adds to dyslexia research and is a reading aid, but it is not a cure for dyslexia.[4] The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, bold-italic, and monospaced font styles. In 2012, Gonzalez explained his motivation to the BBC, "I had seen similar fonts, but at the time they were completely unaffordable and so impractical as far as costs go."[1] Two studies have investigated the effect of specialized fonts used with students with dyslexia. Rello and Baeza-Yates (2013) measured eye-tracking recordings of Spanish readers (aged 11–50) with dyslexia and found that OpenDyslexic did not significantly improve reading time nor shorten eye fixation.[5] In her master's thesis, Leeuw (2010) compared Arial and Dyslexie with 21 Dutch students with dyslexia and found Dyslexie did not lead to faster reading, but may help with some dyslexic-related errors.[6]

The typeface is currently an optional choice on many websites and formats, including Wikipedia,[7] Instapaper,[1] Kobo eReader,[8] Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, a few children's books,[9][10] and at least one imprint of classic literature.[11]

There is also a Google Chrome extension[12] which was developed by Abelardo Gonzalez and Robert James Gabriel [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kelion, Leo. "OpenDyslexic font gains ground with help of Instapaper". BBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "License". OpenDyslexic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. Jason, Mick. "First Free Digital Font Optimized for Dyslexics Arrives". DailyTech.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  4. Ross, Selena. "New Font Helps Dyslexics Read Clearly". Associated Students, UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  5. Rello, L.; Baeza-Yates, R. (2013). "Good fonts for dyslexia". Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. ACM. p. 14.
  6. Leeuw, Renske de (December 2010). Special font for dyslexia? (MA thesis). University of Twente.
  7. Bhattacharjee, Runa. "Universal Language Selector (ULS) deployed on more than 150 wikis". Wikimedia. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  8. Gonzalez, Abelardo. "Kobo Mini, Glo, Aura HD". OpenDyslexic. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  9. Gonzalez, Abelardo. "Zack & Zoey's Alien Apocalypse: Alien Busting Ninja Adventure". OpenDyslexic. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  10. Gonzalez, Abelardo. "The Swamp Man, by Shoo Rayner". OpenDyslexic. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  11. "Strawberry Classics". folktal.es. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  12. "OpenDyslexic". chrome.google.com. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  13. "antijingoist/opendyslexic-chrome". GitHub. Retrieved 2016-08-12.


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