For a lot of dyslexics reading can feel like an insurmountable task filled with frustration and confusion. I was very excited to find a device that can help make reading a little less of a daunting experience for people who struggle with dyslexia. The Kindle can hold up to 3,500 books on it you can take anywhere. Here is a list of some features on the Kindle I think dyslexics could benefit from.
- Searchability: I can search for specific words or phrases in individual books or across my whole library. Usually as dyslexics we tend to skip over words we don’t know causing confusion. With the Kindle you can just look it up right away.
- Readability: The E-Ink screen is incredibly dyslexic friendly because I can adjust the font size up or down as needed. I also like that I can hold the Kindle “open” and “turn the pages” with just one hand (leaving the other hand free for coffee or tea).
- Free samples: Who doesn’t like free samples? I can download free samples from books or magazine subscriptions and preview before purchasing. This is a great way to get your dyslexic kids into reading. Have them read snippets here and there until they find something they love.
- Note-taking: It is easy to highlight text and make notes on the Kindle while I read, and I never need to look around for a highlighter or pen. If you’re reading a textbook and want to remember something you can easily highlight it or take notes on why it’s important. It’s great for college students… or any student for that matter.
- Portability: The Kindle is lightweight, and easy to carry around. And it almost feels like a regular book when you put it in its book cover.
- Note-retrieval: Amazon saves all my highlights and notes along with their locations for me at a special password protected website. When I finish a book, I can go to the website and easily access all my underlines and notes for that book in order. Then I copy and paste them into a Word file for permanent reference. This is a huge time saver, and one of the best advantages of digital over printed books for me.
Sources
Fowler, Ray. “Top 10 Kindle Features.” Ray Fowler.org. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.rayfowler.org/2010/03/31/top-ten-kindle-features/>
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