Great apps and other gizmos for Dyslexic readers/writers

As a dyslexic, I am always looking for ways to enhance my ability to read/spell...live. Today, I wanted to share some of the neat things I'v stumbled onto.

First of all, I do not condone programs that read for you, unless you are taking a school class and need help keeping up with the other readers. Dyslexia, like your body, needs to be exercised daily to strengthen your problem areas. The best way to achieve normalicy (reading/writing) is to practice. "Practice makes perfect," is an ideal saying here. The more your read to yourself, read out-loud, write, the easier things come to you, granted you will always have good days and bad days, but that too can be overcome... to an extent.

So here are some helpeful gadgets, programs and add-in's for the everyday Dyslexic.




2 words: Voice Search!

Ever have one of those days when you want to know the meaning of a word... but you just cant seem to figure out how to spell it? Yeah, me too. Try this nifty app. Just click the "Voice Search" button at the top right corner after opening the app and wait for it to tell you to speak. Say the word you are looking for and the app will find it.
--I use this ALL the time when I am completely stumped on a spelling.






Technacolored-custome!


One of the neat things I have found about Firefox is the web-brousers ability to add custom plugs to enhance your viewing experience. this add-on allows the user to change the color of any website you want (only for the user to see). So let's take things back to the rose-colored glasses day. There have been studies that prove, placing a colored piece of film over text helps dyslexics read better. This add-on could essentially work like that piece of cellophane. Try it out, let me know what you think!

Yet another Firefox wonder


Firefox is an amazing brouser if you haven't tried it before, again there are so many things you can do to enhance it. Here is another thing that might be helpful -- Theme font & Size changer. Ever get frustrated with a website's font? The B's look like D's or the I's, L's and J's could all be the same letter? Maybe that "rn" is actually an "M"... Try this, choose a dyslexic friendly font like serif (fonts that have tails and ticks like Times New Roman), Arial or Geneva.

There is also this font you can purchase from Studio Studio but I checked it out and the cost was € 69 which = around $90... I bit out of my price range, I'll just stick with Times.


Chloe 


enables users to adapt and personalize computer software programs to their own particular needs. It allows users to easily change screen layouts, colours and fonts as well as being able to listen to text read back via a menu of available voices. The nice thing about this is the program keeps itself up to date. I could see many uses for this. £ 47.99 = around $75. At least it's cheaper than the dyslexic font... you can also try this program free for 14 days.

You might be dyslexic if...

This has nothing to do with reading or writing today... well not the usual stuff I blog about at least.

I feel inspired! When I started watching this I thought it was going to be like Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..."


I wonder if we could come up with Jeff Foxworthy-worthy "You might be dyslexic if..." quotes?

Here’s one: "You might be dyslexic if... you ask your parents if you can go to Fuddruckers, then your mother feeds you soap instead."

It needs work, but you get the gist. I actually started to write Fuddruckers backwards before I realized. Think about it...RudF.....s (there, almost spelled out for you)

Reading in Progress - Update -- E-reader Vs. Book

 I am about 10 pages into the next novel, Sonora and the Eye of the Titans. I wanted to attempt to give updates and have other discussions to keep people interested.

First off: if you are planing on reading this novel, I suggest you don't judge the book by its cover or Prologue (as of yet). Both were deterring for me, but because I am writing a review on the book, I am chugging along. Once I got threw the first few pages of chapter 1, my interest had been piqued and I was starting to connect with the main character, Sonora.

Next on the agenda: E-reader Vs. Book...

Another blogger was talking earlier in the week about reading what you have. I wanted to comment further on that subject. I have an over-stuffed bookshelf, most of which I have actually read... well maybe 70%... any way, what I wanted to see from others is: I don't own an electronic reading-device such as a Kindle or Nook. Because of my dyslexia, it seems harder for me to read on computers than on paper. In my dyslexic classes in middle school, we were taught that if we found ourselves skipping lines or not actually listening to ourselves as we read, we should cover the page with colored cellophane (yellow and pink work best)... you can't do that with an e-reader, well you can but it would be hard to manage. Personally, I don't use any colored cellophane to help me, but I still can't seem to find a comfort level with the e-readers. Maybe if I could  get one with the dyslexic font I read about a while back.

How do you read? Do you use an e-reader or do you prefer the physical pages in your fingers? Why do you prefer it that way?

And the BIG question... if there are any other dyslexics out there, do you currently read with an e-reader? How well do you say you read compared to the physical book? Would you use an e-reader if they offered dyslexic friendly fonts?