Dyslexia is a learning difference that can affect the ability to read, write and spell.
Surrey libraries are committed to providing whatever support they can for:
- Parents and carers looking to support children with dyslexia
- Dyslexic parents and carers looking to find books to share with small children
- Adults with dyslexia looking to find ways to enjoy reading or develop their skills.
Dyslexia friendly books
It has been proven that books that have the following characteristics are effective in helping people with dyslexia:
- Using a dyslexia friendly font
- A gently tinted, detail-free background behind the text to reduce glare and stress on the eye
- Slightly increased character spacing to make letters easier to read
- Clean syntax to minimise potential obstacles to comprehension
- Standard "left to right" and "top to bottom" layout for text to aid with following the story in sequence.
Barrington Stoke
Barrington Stoke publish dyslexia friendly books for young children with the new Little Gems series through to books for adults. The books are produced on cream paper to reduce glare together with carefully designed spacing and font. They also have an imprint, Picture Squirrels, which produces picture books designed for dyslexic adults to share with small children.
Barrington Stoke books in held in Surrey libraries:
Read Hear books in Surrey libraries
Innovative and exciting, a simple yet brilliant concept: First-class fiction by famous authors, presented in an easily accessible format.
Youngsters who experience difficulties in reading often find listening to a story whilst following the text makes it easier to identify and remember troublesome words.
Oakhill's Read Hear book & cd packs have been created to help achieve this goal. Barrington Stoke provides the books, specifically designed to help children who need extra encouragement, are reluctant, dyslexic or under-confident readers. Oakhill's high-quality recordings, using professional actors to bring characters to life provide that essential additional level of support.
We have created a list of Read Hear titles available in Surrey Libraries, please use the links on the left hand side of the page to limit the results by interest and age suitability.
Other book series suitable for teens with dyslexia
Yesterday's Voices by Dee Phillips. Please note: selecting this option will take you through to our online catalogue, please then select (click on) the search button to display the full list of titles.
Websites helpful for finding dyslexia friendly books
Booktrust: Type dyslexia in the Search box. This website has booklists as well as helpful information about dyslexia.
Love Reading for Kids: Provides book suggestions arranged by interest age from 5 plus years to teens.
Listening Books: This is a subscription website offering audio books to borrow in a variety of formats: MP3, CD, download or streaming.
Other facilities available in Surrey libraries
Library Computers
All of our computers have Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA) software. This is a screen reader which enables blind and visually impaired people to hear the text in front of them read aloud, for both web pages and Word documents.
eBooks and eAudiobooks
The potential benefits of eAudiobooks are clear but many eReaders allow you to change the font/typeface, spacing, size and even background colour of eBooks. Experimentation may lead to finding an easier way for people with dyslexia to access our entire eBook catalogue.
Spoken Word/Talking books
CDs are available at most libraries.
Quick Reads
Quick reads are designed for adults who struggle with reading for any reason and for reluctant readers.
Quick Read titles available from Surrey Libraries.
Other sources of help and information
The British Dyslexia Association
The vision of the British Dyslexia Association is a dyslexia friendly society enabling all dyslexic people to reach their potential. The website provides information for professionals and families as well as an online shopping facility supplying assistive equipment, technology and useful books. The Association also provides training for professionals, parents and employers.
Others
The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre - a Surrey-based charity supporting everyone affected by dyslexia.
Dyslexia Research Trust - have a helpline, run a research programme and offer specialist clinics to support dyslexic adults and children General information for dyslexic adults and children.
Dyslexia friendly fonts/typefaces
- Microsoft Office typefaces: Arial, Comic Sans, Century Gothic, Verdana, Trebuchet
- Free fonts designed for dyslexia: Lexia Readable, Open-Dyslexic, Dyslexie
- Purchasable fonts, specially designed: Sassoon (for children) Sylexiad (for adults)
- Publisher-only fonts, designed for dyslexia. Barrington Stoke (for children), Read Regular
