This is the third of four posts sharing some of the things I saw while at the International World Wide Web Conference for w4a.
There were a few sessions presenting work done to improve understanding of how to better support people with dyslexia.
One interesting study investigated the effect of font size and line spacing on the readibility of wikipedia articles.
This was assessed in a variety of ways, some of which were based on the reader’s opinions, while others were based on measurements made of the reader during reading and of their understanding of the content after. The underlying question (can we make Wikipedia easier to read for dyslexics?) was compelling. It was also interesting to see this performed not on abstract passages of text, but in the context of using an actual website.
Accessibility isn’t just about the presentation but also the content itself. Another study looked at strategies for simplifying text that could make web pages more readable for dyslexic readers.
It compared the effectiveness of two strategies: firstly, providing synonyms on demand – giving a reader a way to be able to request an alternative for any word. The second was providing synonyms automatically – with complex words automatically substituted for simpler equivalents. Again, this was assessed in several ways, such as the speed of reading, the reader’s comprehension, on the reader’s opinion of easiness, on the effort it took (e.g. interpreting facial expression, etc.), on fixation duration measured using eye tracking, and so on.
On a more practical note, there were also tools presented that are being created to help support people with dyslexia.
Firefixia is a Firefox toolbar extension being created by colleagues of mine in IBM. It provides options for users to customise the web page they are looking at, offering modifications that have been demonstrated to make it easier for dyslexic users.
Dyseggxia is an impressive looking iPad game that aims to support children with dyslexia through fun word games.