OpenDyslexic

OpenDyslexic is a free typeface/font designed to mitigate some of the common reading errors caused by dyslexia. The typeface was created by Abelardo González, who released it through an open-source license.[3][4] The design is based on DejaVu Sans, also an open-source font.

OpenDyslexic
CategorySans-serif
Designer(s)Abelardo González[1]
Date released2011[1]
LicenseSIL Open Font License v1.1[2]
OpenDyslexic sample text
Sample
Shown hereOpenDyslexic 3 Regular
Websiteopendyslexic.org
Screenshot of this Wikipedia page, set in OpenDyslexic typeface
An example of OpenDyslexic typeface

Like many dyslexia-intervention typefaces, most notably Dyslexie, OpenDyslexic adds to dyslexia research and is a reading aid. It is not a cure for dyslexia.[5] The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, bold-italic, and monospaced font styles. The benefit has been questioned in scientific studies.[6]

In 2012, González 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]

Integration

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

There is also a Google Chrome extension available,[11][12][4] which was developed by Abelardo González and Robert James Gabriel.[4][13] It is also part of the "dyslexia-friendly mode" in Oswald Foundation's web accessibility products.[14]

Scientific studies

Two small 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.[15] 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.[16]

In its "dyslexia-friendly style guide", the British Dyslexia Association recommends using "sans serif fonts, such as Arial and Comic Sans, as letters can appear less crowded", adding that "alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri, [and] Open Sans."[17]

There are other typefaces and fonts that have been linked to benefits for people with dyslexia including: BBC Reith, Comic Sans, Dyslexie, FS Me, Sassoon and Sylexiad.[18][19][20]

See also

Notes
  1. In the Wikipedia skin introduced in 2023, OpenDyslexic can be used by clicking the "n languages" button in the upper-right of the page, clicking the gear icon, clicking the "Fonts" button, checking the "Download fonts when needed" box, and selecting "OpenDyslexic".

References
  1. Kelion, Leo (2012-09-26). "OpenDyslexic font gains ground with help of Instapaper". BBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  2. "License". OpenDyslexic. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  3. Jason, Mick. "First Free Digital Font Optimized for Dyslexics although the requirements are for a mixture of Dyslexia which is a phonic cognitive condition and Irlen Syndrome which is a visual cognitive condition the traits of which can often be experienced by dyslexics Arrives". DailyTech.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  4. "OpenDyslexic font makes it easy to read anywhere". Geek.com. 2012-10-02. Archived from the original on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  5. Ross, Selena (17 October 2012). "New Font Helps Dyslexics Read Clearly". Associated Students, UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  6. Wery, Jessica J.; Diliberto, Jennifer A. (18 March 2016), "The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy", Annals of Dyslexia, Springer US, 67 (2): 114–127, doi:10.1007/s11881-016-0127-1, PMC 5629233, PMID 26993270
  7. González, Abelardo. "Kobo Mini, Glo, Aura HD". OpenDyslexic. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  8. González, Abelardo. "Zack & Zoey's Alien Apocalypse: Alien Busting Ninja Adventure". OpenDyslexic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  9. González, Abelardo. "The Swamp Man, by Shoo Rayner". OpenDyslexic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  10. "Strawberry Classics". folktal.es. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  11. "OpenDyslexic". chrome.google.com. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  12. "Which Font is Best For Dyslexic Users? The Science Reviewed". S-E-O.org. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  13. "antijingoist/opendyslexic-chrome". GitHub. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  14. "Valmiki - Oswald Foundation". Oswald Foundation. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  15. 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.
  16. Leeuw, Renske de (December 2010). Special font for dyslexia? (MA thesis). University of Twente.
  17. British Dyslexia Association (2022). "Dyslexia friendly style guide". Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  18. Gray, Richard. "The typeface that helps dyslexics". bbc.com/. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. Dawood, Sarah (May 22, 2018). "Designing for dyslexia: a style guide to make reading easy for everyone". Design Week. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  20. British Dyslexia Association (August 2015). "Typefaces for dyslexia". BDA Technology. Retrieved 13 March 2020.


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