Dyslexia Support South: Where hope meets learning
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Dyslexia Friendly Guidelines for Effective Communication and Advertising.

  1. Use clear and simple language

Avoid using complex or technical terms and use short and simple sentences. Keep sentences short and to the point. Rather than using multiple sentences to say something, use a single sentence.

For example:

  • Short and simple: “Call us to schedule an appointment”
  • Long and complex: “If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with us, we would be more than happy to set that up for you. All you have to do is give us a call and we can take care of the rest.”

In addition to this, using lists, bullet points and headlines are an effective way to break up the text and make it easy to scan for people with dyslexia.

  1. Staying away from white backgrounds

Use a light coloured background to help reduce glare. Using a white background can make it difficult for dyslexics to concentrate on what they need to read. Using coloured backgrounds whether it is coloured paper, a coloured screen (East-Tec) or printed colour background.

3.Use large font sizes

4.Use sans-serif fonts or specialised dyslexic fonts

Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial or Verdana, are easier to read for people with dyslexia than serif fonts, such as Times New Roman. Fonts with the closed ‘a’ are even easier to read.

Dyslexic friendly fonts include:

OpenDyslexic

Dyslexie

Spacing of 1.5 between lines can help also.

5. Avoid underlining and italics

Italics can make the text appear to run together and cause crowding. Use bold or different colours, or highlighting, for emphasis.

Underlines can make it difficult for dyslexics to accurately track the line of text, which can cause them to lose their place or become disoriented while reading.

6. Avoid using all capital letters and uppercase letters for continuous text

Lower case letters are easier to read. Using all capital letters or uppercase letters for continuous text can make it more difficult for dyslexics to read because it reduces the distinctive shapes of letters. Additionally, all capital letters take up more space on the page, which can make it harder for people with dyslexia to track the line of text.

7. Provide alternative formats

Provide alternative formats such as audio or video to make the advertising / communication accessible to dyslexics.

8.Test with dyslexics

Test the advertising with people who have dyslexia to get feedback and make any necessary adjustments.

Added By Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust - March 2023.

In this section

  • Catering for different types of learners
  • Creating a dyslexia-friendly classroom
    • Tips for the classroom
    • Dyslexia-friendly text and documents
    • Dyslexia-friendly teaching methods
      • 4D for schools
      • Universal Design for Learning
  • Specific learning difficulties and processing disorders
    • Dyslexia
    • Dyscalculia
    • Dysgraphia
    • Dyspraxia
    • Irlen Syndrome
    • Auditory Processing Disorder
      • Classroom accommodations for Auditory Processing Disorder
    • Slower processing abilities
  • Supporting SENCOs
  • Parent information evenings for your school community
  • Accommodations in the classroom
  • Decodable books
  • Information for teachers: Neil MacKay
  • Supporting home learning
  • Executive functioning in the classroom
  • NZQA National Qualifications for Specific Learning Differences
  • Dyslexia Friendly Guidelines for Effective Communication and Advertising.

Dyslexia Support South and Growing Stars are programmes run by Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is designed to assist parents, caregivers and educators by providing helpful information on the topics represented. It does not replace information provided by a qualified professional. Parents, caregivers and educators are encouraged to do their own research on programmes mentioned. Dyslexia Support South does not endorse or support any particular product or business.

© Dyslexia Support South 2023

Website by RS

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  • School Toolkit
    • Catering for different types of learners
    • Creating a dyslexia-friendly classroom
      • Tips for the classroom
      • Dyslexia-friendly text and documents
      • Dyslexia-friendly teaching methods
        • 4D for schools
        • Universal Design for Learning
    • Specific learning difficulties and processing disorders
      • Dyslexia
      • Dyscalculia
      • Dysgraphia
      • Dyspraxia
      • Irlen Syndrome
      • Auditory Processing Disorder
        • Classroom accommodations for Auditory Processing Disorder
      • Slower processing abilities
    • Supporting SENCOs
    • Parent information evenings for your school community
    • Accommodations in the classroom
    • Decodable books
    • Information for teachers: Neil MacKay
    • Supporting home learning
    • Executive functioning in the classroom
    • NZQA National Qualifications for Specific Learning Differences
    • Dyslexia Friendly Guidelines for Effective Communication and Advertising.
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