May Member Meet Up

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Communications Chairs

In our recent CLEL Member Meetup in May, attended by librarians from all across the country, we discussed resources for dyslexic patrons.

What we learned was that, while available resources within our libraries was slim, the need was great. Many of us have had difficulties in finding appropriate reading material to assist dyslexic readers and we found that this is not something often discussed in educational trainings. It is usually through firsthand experience that we obtain our knowledge.

Education and early intervention are key for both professionals and caregivers. Providing a list of resources can be a stabilizing foundation for parents to begin assisting young readers and maintaining their love of storytime and books. A few of the ideas mentioned in the meetup were:

  • Books with a specific dyslexic font—Will Hillenbrand has his own trademarked font while Henry Winkler (who also has dyslexia) publishes children’s books in the Dyslexie typeface.
  • The mobile app Libby, created by Overdrive, has a dyslexic font for electronic books as well as thousands of audiobooks which can be paired with a print book to enhance learning.
  • VOX and Wonderbooks are picture books with an audio component attached to combine the visual with auditory.
  • A service of the Colorado Department of Education is the Colorado Talking Book Library which assists those that cannot read standard print (https://myctbl.cde.state.co.us/). 
  • Highly illustrative books, such as graphic novels, allow struggling readers to interpret the text and glean more from the story.
  • Reading or scanner pens are portable assistive devices that can scan printed text and read it aloud. This might make an excellent item to offer as a circulating kit, or even within a children’s room, as kids practice reading a few minutes each day.
  • Something simple are reading trackers that focus the child’s attention on a few words at a time to reduce visual stress (https://www.hand2mind.com/item/fingerfocus-highlighter-to-go).

Even if your budget is small, there are a few things you may be able to do to enhance your learning space for those struggling with dyslexia.

  • Connect with other educators in your area. Are there specialized tutors or professionals available, especially within the school district?
  • Separate or highlight materials designed for dyslexic readers. Make a special collection or display or just have a pamphlet ready to hand out.
  • Use a specific sticker designed to pinpoint useful items.
  • Look for potential grants to purchase assistive devices.
  • Provide opportunities to discuss and educate within library or classroom programs.

Please see below for additional resource links. We would love for you to join us on Tuesday, July 14 at 1pm MST to discuss artificial intelligence and its use in early literacy and libraries.

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