New Typeface to Help Dyslexics
From: Wired News - 10/21/2003
By: Amit Asaravala

A Dutch designer has developed a new typeface that will make it easier for
dyslexics to read words on the Web. Created by Natascha Frensch, Read Regular
makes each letter considerably unique so that dyslexics will not confuse one
character with another, and the typeface also uses simplified forms and
extends the openings in letters such as c and e. Most Web sites that attempt
to accommodate dyslexics use the sans-serif Arial typeface, but its similar
forms for letters such as b and d, p and q, and u and n often causes problems
for people who have some form of dyslexia. Although some organizations have
turned to the Comic Sans typeface, others say its thick and asymmetrical
characters do not present a professional appearance. Frensch, who is
dyslexic, started the Read Regular project about three years ago while
studying for her master's degree at the Royal College of Art in London. "From
the start, Read Regular has been a personal journey, which, through
encouragement from the people around me, has developed into a possible
solution for others," she says. Frensch says Read Regular will be available
to the public once she addresses some licensing and distribution issues. The
U.K.'s Dyslexia Research Trust says that up to 10 percent of English readers
have some form of dsylexia. 

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60834,00.html

