Have you ever tried to explain the colour blue to somebody blind? Difficult, right? Well that’s kind of like what it’s like to explain what having dyslexia looks like.
Dyslexia involves difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence. In fact some just relate it to having something like poor eyesight and something glasses won’t fix.
So in a bit to help bridge that gap of understanding software developer Victor Widell created a website that allows users to have a taste of what dyslexia feels like.
At first glance, Widell’s the page might look like any other but when users try to read something on the page they will notice a constant jumble of words.
The opening line “A friend who has dyslexia” reads “A feinrd who has dixleysa” or “A fnreid who has dsxilyea” – and the letters continue to duck and weave from their proper positioning meaning that intense concentration is needed to figure out what’s written.
Published on Github earlier this week Widell’s page harnesses “typoglycemia,” – a portmanteau of “typo” and “hypoglycemia” and refers the ability to understand the meaning of words in a sentence as long as the exterior letters of each word are correct and all the letters of the word are present.
“I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.”
Dyslexia is estimated to affect some 10 per cent of the Australian population and while it affects people to different degrees according to commenters on the site Widell’s creation is somewhat accurate. Users are hopeful it will help those who haven’t wrapped their minds around the condition to gain some insight and understanding into the disorder.
