presentations on dyslexia

How to Create Dyslexia-Friendly Powerpoints

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This article will discuss several aspects of creating dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint presentations by prioritising accessibility, comprehension, and inclusivity. By paying attention to these characteristics, individuals with dyslexia may feel supported and in turn they may become more engaged with the content of the presentation.

A dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint is a presentation designed to accommodate individuals with dyslexia, a learning disorder affecting reading, writing, and spelling skills. To create a dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, individuals should use a clear and simple font like Arial or Calibri, increase font size, and ensure sufficient spacing between lines and paragraphs. Also, attention to contrast between text and background should be paid, such as black text on a white background. Another important characteristic would be to limit the amount of text and use bullet points or short phrases. Moreover, to create a dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, individuals may consider incorporating visuals like images, diagrams, and charts to support the text. Providing printed handouts for individuals to follow along, and considering providing an audio recording or narration of the presentation may represent a significant solution to help individuals with dyslexia have a better understanding of the information. Furthermore, a consistent layout throughout the slides should also be maintained. By following these guidelines, individuals could create an accessible and inclusive PowerPoint for individuals with dyslexia.

How can you create a dyslexia-friendly powerpoint?

When designing PowerPoint presentations to be dyslexia-friendly, there are several tips to keep in mind. This article will provide some suggestions that may be helpful for creating more inclusive presentations.

Avoid large blocks of text

To avoid large blocks of text on PowerPoint presentations, individuals may consider using bullet points to break down information into concise points. Also, it may be useful to incorporate visuals like images, diagrams, and charts to convey information visually and make the content more engaging. Another tip for this would be to utilise slide builds to reveal text gradually, preventing the audience from being overwhelmed. Using slide transitions to add movement and variety to the presentation would be another element that may help in avoiding large blocks of text. Creators should summarise and highlight key points to keep the presentation concise and focused. By implementing these strategies, individuals could create visually appealing and engaging slides that effectively convey information without overwhelming the audience with excessive text. Remember, less text and more visuals can help enhance the audience’s understanding and retention of the information.

Choose a dyslexia-friendly font

When choosing a dyslexia-friendly font, it is important to consider readability and legibility for individuals with dyslexia. Opting for a sans-serif font like Arial or Calibri, as they are generally easier to read due to their simplicity and lack of decorative flourishes, could be a solution for this. These fonts have clear, distinct letterforms that minimise confusion between similar characters. Additionally, PowerPoint creators should consider using a larger font size to enhance readability and ensure sufficient spacing between letters and words. By selecting a dyslexia-friendly font, individuals can improve the reading experience for individuals with dyslexia and make their content more accessible and inclusive. It can also improve reading speed, accuracy, and overall comprehension for individuals with dyslexia. This can lead to increased confidence, engagement, and understanding of the content being presented or shared. Ultimately, using a dyslexia-friendly font demonstrates inclusivity and a commitment to accessibility, ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to access and engage with the materials.

Use a simple layout

Using a simple layout is crucial when creating materials for individuals with dyslexia. By avoiding complex and cluttered designs, individuals could enhance readability and comprehension. By choosing a clean and uncluttered layout with ample white space to prevent visual overload may be helpful for dyslexic people. In addition, using clear headings and subheadings to organise content and guide the reader’s attention may also represent significant aspects that may help improve the layout of the presentation. Keeping paragraphs short and using bullet points or numbered lists would be helpful at breaking down information into digestible chunks. Additionally, when creating a PowerPoint presentation, individuals should ensure sufficient contrast between the text and background to make it easier for individuals with dyslexia to distinguish and read the content. By implementing a simple layout, the accessibility can be improved, and materials could be more user-friendly for individuals with dyslexia.

Use single colour backgrounds

When creating PowerPoint presentations for individuals with dyslexia, using single colour backgrounds can greatly enhance readability and reduce visual distractions. Choosing a solid, light-coloured background such as white or a soft pastel shade may improve the presentation’s appearance for individuals who are dyslexics. This will help to provide a high contrast against the text, making it easier to read. Paying attention to and avoiding using busy or patterned backgrounds that can cause visual confusion would be also something that should be considered. Additionally, PowerPoint designers should ensure that the text colour contrasts well with the background colour to maintain legibility. By using a single colour background, it may help create a clean and visually appealing presentation that minimises visual clutter and supports individuals with dyslexia in effectively processing and understanding the content.

Use headings to create a clear structure

Creating a clear structure in PowerPoint presentations is essential for individuals with dyslexia, and headings play a crucial role in achieving this. Using clear and descriptive headings would be helpful to break down the content into distinct sections, making it easier for individuals with dyslexia to navigate and understand the presentation. In order to ensure an effective structure of the Powerpoint presentation, headings should be visually distinct from the body text, such as using a larger font size or a different font style. Also, individuals should consistently apply a hierarchical structure to the headings, using different levels for main sections, sub-sections, and sub-sub-sections to create well-structured slides. This will be helpful for creating a clear visual hierarchy and guide the reader’s attention. By using headings effectively, it would be easy to provide a clear structure that supports individuals with dyslexia in comprehending and following the flow of the PowerPoint presentation.

In conclusion, creating dyslexia-friendly presentations through thoughtful design choices and accessibility considerations not only benefits individuals with dyslexia but also enhances the overall clarity and understanding for all audience members. By prioritising dyslexia-friendly design principles in presentations, individuals with dyslexia may be empowered to fully engage with and comprehend the information being presented, fostering an inclusive and equitable learning or communication environment for all participants.

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Oana Gherasim

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Accessibility in PowerPoint: Presentations and dyslexia

• Written by: Keri Buckland
• Categories: PowerPoint design , Visual communication
• Comments: 3

Good PowerPoint presentations are the culmination of many hours of hard work and careful planning. Whether your slides are of the bullet-points-and-comedic-images variety or well-designed masterpieces , the chances are you’ve spent a lot of time researching, fact-checking, structuring and practising that all-important presentation. Now, what if I were to tell you that, despite all your hard work, there’s a good chance that at least 10% of your audience will have a hard time accessing any of your PowerPoint presentations due to dyslexia.

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, we’ve got a wonderful narrated version right here:

This post is part of our mini-series on accessibility in PowerPoint. Check out the other post in the series: Presentations for people with colour blindness 

It seems like a real shame for you to have put all that time into a PowerPoint presentation that will frustrate or alienate many in your audience, potentially even that key potential client you’re trying so hard to impress. Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 adults to some degree. Dyslexia  is a life-long specific learning difficulty which, while having no bearing on intelligence, can have an impact on people’s day-to-day activities. People with dyslexia can find tasks involving reading, spelling, organisation and verbal memory more challenging. Symptoms vary from individual to individual and most adults will have developed methods for overcoming the challenges presented in their specific work context. There are times, however, when the way you receive verbal or written information is out of your control, such as company PowerPoint presentations or sales pitches.

Text-heavy PowerPoint presentations are hard work and unengaging for everyone – it’s impossible to listen and read at the same time, so most people will do one or the other, or simply switch off. For people with dyslexia, blocks of text on a white screen is nothing short of a headache. Your audience members will be bored, frustrated, and, critically, will get no benefit from your slides.

So, what can you do to ensure that your slides are engaging and accessible ?

1. Avoid big blocks of text

This is for everyone’s benefit, especially yours as the presenter. Large blocks of text will be indecipherable for dyslexic audience members, and plain boring for everyone else. Your audience will be working so hard straining their eyes to read what’s on the screen that they’ll ignore you entirely. Instead, minimise the text on the screen and opt for more compelling and visually engaging ways to tell your story . Flowcharts and graphics are a simple way to explain procedures or results in a clear, visual way.

2. Consider the layout

Where text is unavoidable, space out the material to avoid dense, cramped paragraphs. Opt for a left-justified alignment and avoid narrow columns or lines that are excessively long. Avoid starting a sentence at the end of a line and ensure line spacing is at least 1.5. Make sure different ideas are separated in a clear and organised manner. This will help everyone understand your PowerPoint presentation, dyslexia or no.

3. Choose a simple font

Keep the font clear and simple. Evenly spaced sans serif fonts, such as Arial tend to be easier to read for people with dyslexia. There are many alternatives, including Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic and Trebuchet. Avoid condensed and cursive fonts. The optimum font size depends on the individual and the screen you’ll be using, but make sure the text is at least size 18. Text should be dark on a light background. Try to stick to one colour for any one section of text and avoid the use of red, pink and green as these colours are often problematic for colour-blind individuals.

4. Background

Dazzling white backgrounds should be avoided as they can appear too glaring. Cream or a soft pastel colour can eliminate this. Different individuals will have their own colour preference, so it’s difficult to choose the optimum background shade for everyone. As a rule, avoid bright white and ensure there is enough contrast for the text to stand out.

5. Headings

Underlining and italics can make letters and words run together, rendering them harder to read. Instead, opt for bold text in a larger font for headings and emphasis. BLOCK CAPITALS are again more difficult to interpret, so stick to lower case or sentence case.

And there you have it: 5 simple steps to make your presentations more accessible. Fortunately, adopting PowerPoint best practice for a dyslexic audience has the advantage of making presentations easier on the eye, and more compelling, for everyone. Now, go out there and wow your audience!

PowerPoint presentations and dyslexia: References and further reading

BDA Dyslexia Style Guide

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

Keri Buckland

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That is great, really really great, thank you very much!!!!

Also, where can I find mentioned PowerPoint presentation?

Thank you. Have a great day. Take care.

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Considering the content of this page it may be worth putting some of this into practice. The majority of this page is white background with black text, making it the perfect example of how not to present dense information to dyslexic readers.

Thanks for the feedback. We have a narrated version of the article available (near the top), and most modern browsers can also provide an immersive version, e.g. on Edge this renders as white on black.

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Accessibility in PowerPoint Presentation Design: Presentations and Dyslexia

Ulfah Alifah

• Published on August 9, 2021

Table of Contents

Every presenter wants their messages to be delivered clearly to every single audience they face. To acquire that, a good presenter needs to study and learn a lot from their own experience. But according to Bright Carbon , there is a lot of chance. Not all your audiences get your messages.

Why? Your presentations must have included some PowerPoint slides, including some texts, and required the audience to read. That will not be a massive problem for most people, but for people with dyslexia, it would be almost impossible.

Around 1 in 10 people are affected by dyslexia, which means many people have it on this planet. So, should we ignore their case and pretend like their number means nothing? Of course, we cannot ignore it.

Good presenters ignore no one in their audience, and their biggest mission is to deliver every drop of information to all of their audience. And for this particular case, there is a way to make those with dyslexia understand your messages more easily.

Be a good presenter, and embrace every single uniqueness you meet when presenting your presentation. Here, in this article, let’s talk about accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design : presentations and dyslexia.

Dyslexia, the most common accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design

Humans are born different from each other, and thus we say every single person is unique. Some people are born more memorable than others, like having dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty.

According to The Dyslexia Association , people with dyslexia find it a little more difficult to learn things the way many other people know. However, it doesn’t mean that they cannot learn anything at all.  Most people with dyslexia have visually solid problem-solving skills.

A lot of people with dyslexia are among the most intelligent people in their fields. Albert Einstein, Robin Williams, Pablo Picasso, and George Washington are among the best people in their areas, and all suffered from this condition .

This condition is not a disease that can spread to others or be cured with medicine. It is just proof that each person sees this world differently, and their view is slightly different from most people’s .

That’s why we should not seclude them from our activities, including PowerPoint presentations. We should also embrace them and present them with the information that they deserve.

Dyslexia and presentation

So, what makes a person with dyslexia find ordinary presentations challenging to understand? The reason is that they find it difficult to read or interred written words, letters, and symbols. And it applies to every single written object.

We all know that a PowerPoint presentation includes many written words as means of communication to the audience. That’s why the information that people with dyslexia can quickly process during PowerPoint presentations is the spoken messages.

Our conventional presentation method doesn’t accommodate their unique needs to absorb and process information. Thus, the number of information people with dyslexia can get from our presentation is usually lower than expected.

As a result, when asked for feedback from a recent presentation, people with dyslexia usually fail to perform well. When feedback is required, it can be a problem for them, like when dyslexic students are asked to perform in class.

Back in the day, people blamed their unique requirements and mistook them for laziness or stupidity. But as time went by, we know more about this condition, and such judgmental mistakes should be stopped.

Instead, we need to embrace their unique condition since most of them are highly intelligent. But how can we assume their special condition without making our presentation ‘too special’ to be understood by other people too?

Embracing dyslexia in our presentation slides

Here is the answer to that question. We actually can accommodate their needs without making other people feel left out. And in that case, you don’t need to do something huge like climbing Kilimanjaro or diving into the Mariana trench.

Here are simple tweaks that can make the dyslexic audience understand your messages far more quickly.

Text structure

The first piece of advice in accommodating dyslexia accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design, according to British Dyslexia Association, is to arrange the structure of your texts neatly and carefully. A neat text structure will help them recognize your messages more quickly and process them with ease.

The arrangement that you need to adopt is by putting headings and styles to texts in each slide. There is no specific measurement for this, but BDA suggested the size of headers may need to be 20% larger than standard text.

Changing the format into bold is preferable, so people with some level of dyslexia will find it easier to recognize. Further, if you need to put different levels of text, make sure to arrange its position and spacing so that even you find it so much easier to read.

In addition to that, avoid formatting that would make the texts harder to read. Arrangements like italic and using block capitals are harder to read for dyslexic people. Underlining a reader can also make texts more difficult to read.

Readable fonts

There is nothing that can make the texts more readable than simple fonts that are clear and evenly spaced. Some good examples of fonts are Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, and Trebuchet. All of those fonts do not have cursive and are not condensed.

The most popular font, Times New Roman, is not a good option because it has small cursives. On the other hand, the most hated font Comic Sans is a good option because it can appear so simple for dyslexic people.

Talking about the size of the fonts, make sure to use them as large as possible. Larger fonts are generally easier to read, even for dyslexic people. Again, it would help if you were considerate about not getting your slides too cluttered with text.

Colors & backgrounds

Another way to accommodate dyslexia accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design is to be mindful of your choice of colors. Both your background color and the color of your text affect their ability to understand the written materials.

The first thing first is to make the colors of your presentation stable. Even if you need to use bright-colored texts, make sure to contrast them with dark colors. Do not even try to mix colors, contrast them awfully, and use colors with high contrast.

You should also never use an irrational combination of colors for the background of your slides. The most important thing for dyslexic people in the presentation is the readability of the text. And in that case, a striking white background is also a wrong choice.

Make sure the layout of your texts is neatly arranged. To check whether the layout is easy to read or not is to check it yourself. If you even find it a little bit difficult to read, dyslexic audience members would find it an ancient script.

One simple example is not aligning the texts with ‘justified’ alignment. Align left is much more preferable than ‘justified’ alignment. And in addition to that, arrange the spacing of the words into 1.5 points.

The length of the text in your layout should not be too long too. Around 60 to 70 characters are enough, as long as you don’t use multiple columns like in a newspaper.

Another method to assist dyslectic audience members is to choose the language that they master the most. Selecting a language that your audience master the most will help them easily arrange the floating texts into something readable.

Using active voice in our minds instead of passive voice is also recommended. While the thing that you need to prevent is using double negatives like the phrase “please, don’t like me.” Abbreviations are also not recommended.

Accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design is something that we should accommodate. The tips mentioned above can help you big time in accommodating dyslexic people. None of those methods are too hard to do.

Accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design: Dyslexia-friendly slides

As we mentioned above, around 1 in 10 people have dyslexia at some level. That’s why anytime you present a presentation in front of people, more than 10. There is a very high chance that one of them doesn’t get anything from your presentation.

 But you can change it now by accommodating their special requirements in your PowerPoint presentation. You need to apply those simple tweaks and communicate to your audience as well as possible.

And in case you still find it hard to do the tricks, you can contact us. We at RRGraph understand this problem very well and will help you design a high-class PowerPoint presentation design that can also accommodate the needs of dyslexic audience members.

We are not only for dyslexic people, but we can also accommodate other accessibility in PowerPoint presentation design. For example, we can also help you to design a unique PowerPoint presentation design for colorblind people. Anything you need, anytime you need us, you can contact us. 

Let’s visit RRSlide to  download free PowerPoint templates . But wait, don’t go anywhere and stay here with our  RRGraph Design  Blog  to keep up-to-date on the  best pitch deck template  collections and design advice from our  PowerPoint experts .

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Defining and understanding dyslexia: past, present and future

Margaret j. snowling.

a Department of Experimental Psychology and St John’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Charles Hulme

b Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Kate Nation

c Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Dyslexia is a difficulty in learning to decode (read aloud) and to spell. DSM5 classifies dyslexia as one form of neurodevelopmental disorder. Neurodevelopmental disorders are heritable, life-long conditions with early onset. For many years, research on dyslexia proceeded on the basis that it was a specific learning difficulty – specific meaning that the difficulty could not be explained in terms of obvious causes such as sensory problems or general learning difficulties (low IQ). However, the failure to find qualitative differences in reading, and phonological skills, between children with dyslexia and children with more general learning problems led this kind of ‘discrepancy’ definition to fall from favour. The Rose Review stated that dyslexia can occur across the IQ range and that poor decoding skills require the same kinds of intervention irrespective of IQ. In this paper, we argue that loosening the criteria for dyslexia has influenced common understanding of the condition and led to diagnostic confusion. In the longer term, the use of the term may need to change. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A central theme in the history of dyslexia is the tension between the specificity of the disorder and its complex association with other forms of learning disability. Since its earliest description over 100 years ago, through the case files of the Word Blindness Centre (Whyte, this issue ) and of Tim Miles (Evans, this issue ) to more recent neuropsychological case studies (e.g. JM; Snowling & Hulme, 1989 ) is the notion that dyslexia is specific – a particular problem with reading and spelling that is somehow unexpected and therefore requiring a diagnosis and an explanation, as well as specialist intervention. At the same time, the history of dyslexia captures a sense of complexity that there might be ‘several “species” of dyslexia’ and it reflects a ‘family of disabilities’. These tensions play out in perennial discussions surrounding the definition of dyslexia, whether there are different ‘subtypes’ and questions about whether it even exists. In this article, we argue that loosening the criteria for dyslexia means that a far wider range of individuals now receive the label; furthermore, by understanding the co-occurrence of dyslexia with other disorders, we reach a better understanding of the heterogeneity of its manifestations.

Dyslexia – the discrepancy definition

For many years, research on dyslexia proceeded on the basis that it was a specific learning difficulty. The term ‘specific’ here referred to the fact that children with dyslexia have difficulties in the domain of reading (and spelling) that are ‘out of line’ with expectation, given age and IQ. Educational and clinical psychology practice was to look for a discrepancy between expected and actual reading attainment in order to ‘diagnose’ dyslexia. However, the failure to find qualitative differences in reading (and the phonological skills that underpin it) between children with dyslexia and children with more general learning problems led this kind of ‘discrepancy’ definition to lose credibility. To understand the implications of moving away from a discrepancy-based definition, we begin by reviewing how such a definition was operationalised and the evidence against its validity.

Originally conceived of as a measure of General Cognitive Ability or ‘g’, an individual’s IQ is simply their score on an IQ test. The most widely used measures of IQ are the Wechsler Scales which can be used to assess preschoolers, children and adults (e.g. Wechsler, 1974 ). For present purposes, it is important to note that these scales separate tests tapping verbal skills from tests tapping non-verbal or performance skills (though the division is not clean). The verbal tests include measures of vocabulary, verbal concepts, knowledge of the world and mental arithmetic. The performance tests primarily require practical responses, such as putting blocks together to make a pattern, or pieces of a puzzle to make an object; unlike the verbal tests, they are timed and hence tap speed of processing. An individual who has taken an IQ test typically obtains a Verbal IQ, Performance IQ and a Full-Scale IQ combining across both. Assuming no obvious neurological or sensory impairment and no lack of educational opportunity, children with average or above average Full-Scale IQ who nevertheless show problems with reading and spelling may be classified as dyslexic. This category corresponds to ‘Specific Dyslexia’, as used in the context of the Word Blind Centre (Naidoo, 1972 ). Dropping the discrepancy definition broadens this category.

One of the early critics of the discrepancy definition of dyslexia was Stanovich ( 1991 ). There were two main tenets of Stanovich’s argument against this approach. First, learning to read has a positive effect on verbal skills and vocabulary. Children who are good at reading read more and therefore have a greater opportunity to learn new information via print than children who are poor at reading. The corollary of this is a ‘Matthew effect’: the verbal skills of children who read less fail to keep pace with their peers (Stanovich, 1986 ). On this view, lower Verbal IQ (and, by extension, Full-scale IQ too) can be a consequence of poor reading and therefore the use of an IQ-based ‘discrepancy’ formula to differentiate different groups of readers is flawed. Second, Stanovich and Siegel ( 1994 ) showed that irrespective of IQ, poor readers experience the same core phonological difficulties (problems in dealing with the speech sounds of words). Given that reading skills show a continuous distribution in the population and that there are no clear qualitative or quantitative differences in reading as a function of discrepancy, effectively this means using the term ‘dyslexia’ for any cases of poor reading. While defensible on statistical grounds, to regard dyslexia ‘just’ as poor reading (and spelling) fails to capture the fact that it has an early onset (in preschool) and is persistent over time.

In an attempt to reconcile these views, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) uses the term ‘Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading’ to describe what others, and lobbyists in particular, call dyslexia. The DSM5 definition notes that the term refers to a pattern of learning difficulties characterised by problems with accurate or fluent word reading, poor decoding, and poor spelling ‘that must have persisted for at least 6 months, despite the provision of interventions that target those difficulties’ (p. 66). It also notes that a good indicator is ‘low academic achievement for age or average achievement that is sustainable only by extraordinarily high levels of effort or support’ (p. 69).

In summary, dropping the IQ-discrepancy definition of dyslexia has proven controversial for many, particularly for those who see ‘dyslexia’ as a special category of disorder and reject the view that it is only a reflection of poor reading. We will argue here that it is important is to have a better understanding of the dimensionality of reading disorders and how they frequently occur with other difficulties.

Putting learning into the definition of dyslexia and the phonological deficit hypothesis

Although intellectual disability precludes a diagnosis of specific learning disorder, once the practice of restricting the diagnosis of dyslexia to those principally with above-average IQ is abandoned, the kinds of learning difficulties to which the label ‘dyslexia’ applies widen and now include children with a broader range of learning problems. Such children have a range of problems with reading which are not best characterised as affecting only accuracy and fluency. A more principled approach then is to first consider the demands of learning to read and then consider how specific aspects of learning are affected in different ‘types’ of poor reader.

At the core of dyslexia is a difficulty in learning to decode and to spell. It is important therefore that our understanding of dyslexia is cast within a framework of learning to read. Reading development is a complex process (for a review see Castles et al., 2018 ). In simple terms, learning to read starts with learning mappings between print and sound. In alphabetic languages, the mappings are at a fine-grain between phonemes (the smallest units of speech) and graphemes (letter and letter groups), and in English there are many inconsistencies in the mappings, making learning to read difficult. As children grasp this alphabetic principle, they can translate print into sound and from that access the meaning of familiar words. This decoding process provides a mechanism for acquiring detailed orthographic knowledge about how written language works. Over time, and with reading experience, reliance on overt decoding declines as word recognition becomes increasingly efficient and automatised, allowing children to go from print to meaning rapidly and effortlessly.

More formally, we can consider reading development within the context of the influential ‘triangle model’, a computational model devised by Seidenberg and McClelland ( 1989 ). The triangle model comprises three sets of representations (phonological, orthographic and semantic) that interact and connect together to constitute the word recognition system.

Well before learning to read, children have well-developed phonological knowledge (of the sounds of words) that has connections with their semantic system (the meaning of words). Faced with written words, children need to form mappings from orthography to phonology and thus to meaning. Semantic knowledge can also support the development of word reading, providing the means to adjust a partial decoding attempt (such as reading school as ‘s-chule’) and bring it in line with a known word. Reading experience allows orthographic representations to become structured and for the whole system to embody the statistical regularities that exist between print and sound, and print and meaning.

In dyslexia, children are slow to learn to decode words and become fluent; they also struggle to generalise, that is, to read novel words they have never seen before. It is well established that in cognitive terms, dyslexia is caused by problems at the level of phonological representation (e.g. Shankweiler et al., 1979 ; Snowling & Hulme, 1994 ). This hypothesis has its roots in long-standing clinical observations, arguably starting with Orton ( 1937 ) and continuing with Bannatyne ( 1974 ), who noted difficulties in ‘auditory sequencing, auditory discrimination, and associating auditory symbols with sequences of visual symbols’. A considerable body of research has since detailed the nature of ‘auditory’ problems in dyslexia, narrowing the deficit to one affecting the sound (phonological) structure of speech (Griffiths & Snowling, 2001 ; Vellutino et al., 2004 ): problems with phonology lead to difficulty in learning mappings between orthography and phonology and other difficulties which include problems learning new spoken words, poor verbal short-term memory and problems with word retrieval and picture naming (see Snowling, 2019 for review). Although learning to read has a reciprocal influence on phonological skills (Morais & Kolinsky, 2005 ), there is good evidence that phonological deficits in dyslexia are present in the preschool years, long before reading instruction begins (Snowling, Nash et al., 2019 ). Moreover, training phonological skills and letter knowledge improves reading ability, strengthening the claim that phonological skills are causally related to reading development (Hulme et al., 2012 ).

Nonetheless, despite the strength of the phonological deficit hypothesis, it seems that phonological difficulties are neither necessary nor sufficient to account for dyslexia (Pennington, 2006 ). While poor phonology is the impairment most consistently associated with dyslexia, many children at family risk of dyslexia who do not succumb to reading difficulties also have problems with phonological awareness (Snowling & Melby-Lervåg, 2016 ) and many individuals with dyslexia have deficits outside of the phonological domain (Saksida et al., 2016 ; White et al., 2006 ). According to the influential theory by Pennington ( 2006 ), dyslexia is the outcome of multiple risks which accumulate towards a threshold for what is usually termed ‘diagnosis’. What are these additional risks and how can they be conceptualised?

To consider these questions, we can begin by looking within the reading system itself. While learning to read depends initially on learning mappings between orthography and phonology, other factors are also important. Semantic knowledge adds another source of variation: children with low language show relative weaknesses in learning to read words, especially evident for those words that are difficult to decode (Nation & Snowling, 1998 ). More generally, longitudinal studies show that preschool variations in oral language are associated with word reading ability in 8–9 year-olds (Hulme et al., 2015 ). Other research has focussed more directly on the learning mechanisms involved and asked whether the reading difficulties seen in dyslexia are associated with differences in paired-associate learning or statistical learning (see Nation & Mak, 2019 for a review). In addition, some children have been shown to have particular difficulty with letter position coding, making errors when dealing with words where precision is needed (e.g. pirates and parties; smile and slime ; Kohnen et al., 2012 ). Together these findings indicate that an individual child’s score on a standardised test of word reading reflects multiple sources of variation (and difficulty). As computational models make clear, dyslexia is characterised by heterogeneity and individual differences (Harm & Seidenberg, 1999 ; Perry et al., 2019 ). However, to understand dyslexia fully we need to look beyond the details of the reading system itself and ask how additional factors influence reading and its development.

In summary, some of the complexity associated with dyslexia arises because the predominant proximal cause – a phonological deficit – is often not the only deficit that is observed. Moreover, phonological skills are themselves dimensional and can affect one or more aspects of reading. In particular, if the phonological difficulties occur as a ‘downstream’ effect of earlier language problems then reading comprehension as well as word decoding will be significantly affected.

Comorbidities of dyslexia

Comorbidity refers to the co-occurrence between two (or more) disorders in the same individual. Comorbidity can be found between disorders within the same diagnostic grouping, e.g. reading disorder and mathematics disorder (both learning disorders with shared risk factors) as well as between disorders from different diagnostic groupings, such as between reading disorder and behavioural and emotional disorders (Angold et al., 1999 ). Rates of comorbidity between reading disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders vary widely but, on average, about 40% of the children with a reading disorder/dyslexia will have another disorder as well (Moll et al., 2020 ). Many children with dyslexia have oral language problems extending well beyond the phonological domain. This was recognised by the Invalid Child’s Aid Association in setting up the Word Blind Centre (Whyte, this issue ) and is highlighted by Maughan et al. ( 2020 ) drawing on data from the Isle of Wight studies in the 1960s. An inevitable consequence of removing the discrepancy definition is that more children with poor reading in the context of broader and more serious language difficulties will be labelled ‘dyslexic’. Since reading for meaning draws on language skills, it follows that many poor readers also have poor reading comprehension skills. Thus, whereas in classic discrepancy-defined dyslexia, reading comprehension is only an issue insofar as poor decoding presents a bottleneck to the construction of meaning, this is not the case for children with dyslexia who have co-occurring language problems; these children have poor reading comprehension too (Bishop & Snowling, 2004 ).

Some children with dyslexia meet criteria for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a disorder characterised by persistent difficulties in expressive and/or receptive language (Bishop et al., 2017 ). While usually considered a communication disorder separate from learning disorders, DLD is a major risk factor for dyslexia. Indeed, McArthur et al. ( 2000 ) showed that among children with specific reading difficulties (dyslexia), some 40% had significant language impairments; on the other hand, children who enter school with DLD are at high risk of literacy difficulties (Bishop & Adams, 1990 ). In short, the boundaries of dyslexia are not clear-cut: it is not uncommon for children with dyslexia to have language problems and some children also meet clinical criteria for DLD (Catts et al., 2005 ; Snowling, Nash et al., 2019 ). These language problems are under-diagnosed but are likely to affect response to intervention (Adlof & Hogan, 2019 ).

DLD is not the only disorder that co-occurs with dyslexia. Dyslexia is also often comorbid with attentional and motor coordination problems (Gooch et al., 2014 ; Rochelle & Talcott, 2006 ). There is also an overlap between dyslexia and speech sound disorder (Pennington & Bishop, 2009 ), socio-emotional and behavioural disorders (Carroll et al., 2005 ) and internalising problems such as anxiety and depression (Francis et al., 2019 ). None of these comorbidities should be viewed as ‘core’ features of dyslexia, but they can complicate both its presentation and response to intervention (Rose, 2009 ). Importantly for the present discussion, following relaxation of the discrepancy definition and hence the IQ cut-off, the number of ‘symptoms’ co-occurring with dyslexia has increased.

Another disorder that is frequently comorbid with dyslexia is mathematics disorder (or dyscalculia). Like reading disorder, mathematics disorder is classified as a specific learning disorder in DSM5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ); it is comorbid with dyslexia in between 30% and 70% of the cases (Landerl & Moll, 2010 ). Like reading, mathematics is also a complex skill with multiple components. The overlap with dyslexia is high because many aspects of mathematics depend on verbal skills, e.g. number knowledge, counting, retrieval of number facts and verbal problem solving (Göbel & Snowling, 2010 ; Moll et al., 2018 ). However, mathematics also involves non-verbal skills; these include the ability to estimate numerosity and to compare differing magnitudes (Malone et al., in press ). Further, numeracy problems have been associated with poor visual-spatial skills, poor executive function and working memory deficits; such deficits are commonly features of the kinds of non-verbal learning difficulty associated with lower Performance IQ (Gillberg & Gillberg, 1989 ). We can think of IQ as a broad measure of many aspects of cognition (including language, spatial, and attentional skills). Statistically, if we insist that only children with average IQ can be diagnosed with dyslexia, this will make dyslexia appear to be a specific disorder (because children with language or attentional problems will tend on average to have lower than average IQs and so fail to be diagnosed as dyslexic).

In summary, we argue that cases of ‘specific dyslexia’ exist and they are most apparent when a strict discrepancy definition (reading poorer than expected for a child’s age and IQ) is adopted. However, when it is dropped, a wider range of difficulties are observed among children with reading disorders. The clinical and educational reality is that for many children, poor reading sits within a constellation of difficulties each of which represents a dimension. As the history of dyslexia shows, these are far from newly recognised issues; they have dogged dyslexia since it was first identified in the 19 th century (Kirby, this issue ).

Dyslexia diagnosis and treatment

A growing concern among educators is the increasing incidence of dyslexia in school and in higher education. Do the increasing rates of this learning disorder reflect increased awareness of the condition or do they reflect over-diagnosis, particularly among those with the financial means to seek private educational assessment? This is the nub of an argument that has surfaced in a variety of forms since the first cases of reading disorder were described (Kirby, 2019 ). One of the main criticisms of those who are concerned with labelling dyslexia as a categorical impairment is that there are no clear cut-off criteria behind the diagnosis (Elliott & Grigorenko, 2014 ). DSM5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) stipulates that the term should only be used if there is restricted progress in learning (to read/spell) and no catch-up with peers despite extra help at home or school; there should also be a low academic achievement. While precise criteria are avoided given the dimensional nature of the disorder, the manual does suggest that achievement (e.g. in literacy or numeracy skills) more than 1.5 standard deviations below the mean (a standard score of 78) assures the greatest diagnostic certainty; it also goes on to assert various exclusionary criteria and continues to advocate the importance of clinical judgement.

Arguably, it is the issue of clinical judgement which lies behind the dyslexia debate – and yet for all clinical conditions including infections and diseases, clinical judgement needs to be exercised before treatment can be determined. 1 We should also emphasise that dimensional disorders are common in many other areas of medicine and psychology – there are no clear cut-offs for diagnosing hypertension, obesity or depression; but for each of these very real conditions there need to be clinical decisions made about when an individual needs treatment. The same is true for dyslexia. To avoid the issue of clinical judgement and poor reliability around diagnostic thresholds, some have advocated the use of ‘response to intervention’ as an approach to diagnosis (Fletcher & Vaughn, 2009 ). Such an approach undoubtedly makes sense – if a child responds to treatment positively and can catch up with peers, then the label of ‘dyslexia’ is not appropriate because the condition is not persistent. Such children might be regarded as ‘instructional causalities’ – not having been taught properly in the first place or having suffered a set-back, for example, because of a poor command of the language in the case of migration. However, implementation of the response-to-intervention approach has not borne the anticipated fruit; children who fail to respond to well-founded intervention are just as likely to be identified following a comprehensive assessment with objective standards for referral for intervention as after their poor response to intervention – so why wait? Moreover, the characteristics of ‘treatment resistors’ include the phonological deficits that characterise dyslexia (Al Otaiba et al., 2014 ; Vellutino et al., 2004 ).

So where does this leave the issue of diagnosis and more broadly the practice of labelling a child or adult as having dyslexia? First, we propose that the term dyslexia should not be used as a shorthand for ‘reading disorder’ but should be used to refer to a difficulty with decoding and spelling fluency which is evident from the early school years and persistent over time. Second, it should affect academic functioning, such that progress is less good in literacy-based areas of the curriculum than that of peers in a similar setting. Third, if there are co-occurring features, these should be labelled as such but should not be considered core to the ‘diagnosis’. Finally, the diagnosis should be qualified as mild (fully compensated when appropriate arrangements are in place), moderate or severe; we hypothesise that those with ‘severe’ difficulties are often those with a range of comorbid conditions.

In a similar vein, Miciak et al. ( 2014 ) criticised approaches that focus on a range of features in order to ‘diagnose’ dyslexia. Rather, they suggest that assessments should focus on the defining symptoms of reading difficulties, the functional impairments and co-occurring conditions. Such clarity is important if the causes of dyslexia are to be properly understood and the concept is to be fully embraced in educational policy. Another issue that has concerned those who do not support the use of the term ‘dyslexia’ is the fact that the types of intervention that are known to be helpful do not differ from the interventions that are useful for other poor readers. This is, however, a simplistic view. Dyslexia does equate with poor decoding and word reading, and therefore to say it requires similar treatment to poor reading is a tautology. The most robust evidence for the effectiveness of reading interventions comes from randomised trials (e.g. Connor et al., 2013 ; Hulme & Melby-Lervåg, 2015 ; Melby‐Lervåg & Lervåg, 2014 ). To date, the evidence suggests that the most effective interventions for children with dyslexia are phonologically based, involving training in phoneme awareness and letter knowledge combined with structured reading practice (McArthur et al., 2012 ). These interventions tackle the decoding deficit in dyslexia directly. However, there is a dearth of evidence for the efficacy of interventions to improve spelling and writing fluency – future research must address these important questions as a matter of urgency. There is also a need for treatment plans to consider the comorbidities that are associated with dyslexia, particularly language problems, and to consider their impact on the developing reading system. If these are not addressed, then response to intervention is likely to be poor.

In summary, elaborate comprehensive assessments are not required to identify a child as in need of reading intervention. What needs to be recognised is that reading is a dimension that is correlated with other skills and co-occurring difficulties (comorbidities) need separate management.

Conclusions: when is dyslexia a disability?

The term dyslexia can be properly used to describe children who experience problems learning to read and write; often when a basic level of reading and spelling ability is established, there are persisting problems with reading fluency. Dyslexia is a dimensional disorder, however, with no clear cut-off from poor reading. This does not mean it is not a handicap. If difficulties in learning and in developing fluency persist, then we would argue the term should be used, not least to signal the need for intervention. In addition, it should be recognised that assessment is needed to identify co-occurring problems; if present, these may require separate management, but they do not define dyslexia . The need to intervene is clear: children with poor reading are at elevated risk for a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Moreover, longer-term follow-up studies make clear that problems with literacy persist into adulthood, and are associated with lower levels of educational attainment, higher rates of unskilled employment, and often periods of unemployment (e.g. Maughan et al., this issue ). At the same time, since some individuals with dyslexia can compensate for their difficulties, dyslexia need only be disabling if the individual remains unable to cope with the literacy demands of study or work even when appropriate arrangements are in place.

How dyslexia is recognised by the education system, and by society more generally, has changed over its history, and continues to evolve. Here we have aimed to clarify some of the consequences that have followed from dropping the IQ-discrepancy definition of dyslexia. While questions remain, how reading develops and how best to teach it are now well understood (Castles et al., 2018 ) and policy implications are clear (Seidenberg, 2017 ). Despite best efforts, some children will continue to find reading difficult. Optimal outcomes for these children require us to embrace the dimensional nature of dyslexia and its associated complexities; to fail to do so is negligent and arguably morally indefensible.

Biographies

Margaret J. Snowling is President of St. John’s College and Professor of Psychology, University of Oxford. She is also professionally qualified as a clinical psychologist. Her research on children’s reading and language is at the interface of psychology and education.

Maggie was awarded the British Psychological Society Presidents’ Award (2003) and the Samuel T Orton Award of the International Dyslexia Association (2005); she is Past-President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading and former Joint Editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. She served on Sir Jim Rose’s Expert Advisory Group on provision for Dyslexia, was advisor to the Phonics Screening Check and Reception Baseline Assessment in England and an expert member of the Education for All: Fast Track Initiative group in Washington DC in (2011).

Maggie has been awarded honorary doctorates from Goldsmiths London, University College London, Warwick and Bristol Universities for contributions to the science of reading and dyslexia.

She is Fellow of the British Academy, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She was appointed CBE for services to science and the understanding of dyslexia in 2016.

Charles Hulme is Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Oxford. His research interests are in reading, language and memory and their development and he is an expert on randomised controlled trials in Education. Publications include a number of assessment materials including the York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (2009), the Phonological Abilities Test (1997), Sound Linkage (2014) and The Test of Basic Arithmetic and Numeracy Skills (2015) as well as several books dealing with various aspects of reading development. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Scientific Studies of Reading’ and a former Senior Editor of the Association of Psychological Science’s flagship journal, Psychological Science. In 2009 he published ‘Developmental disorders of language, learning and cognition’ (Wiley-Blackwell; co-authored with Maggie Snowling). He received the Feitelson Research Award from the International Reading Association (1998), the Marion Welchman International Award for Contributions to the study of Dyslexia from the British Dyslexia Association (2016) and the Society for the Scientific Studies of Reading Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award (2019). He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Academy of Social Sciences, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo (2014), and is a member of Academia Europea.

Kate Nation is Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford. Her research is concerned with with language processing, especially reading development. She is interested in how children learn to read words and comprehend text, and more generally, the relationship between spoken language and written language. Her research spans both typical and atypical development. A key aim at present is to investigate the mechanisms involved in the transition from novice to expert. She also studies language processing in adults, addressing the issue of how skilled behaviour emerges via language learning experience. Kate has contributed to building links between psychological research and educational policy and practice. She has served on a number of Editorial Boards and her research has been recognised by awards from the British Psychological Society and the Experimental Psychology Society . For more information see www.readoxford.org and follow her on twitter drofxOdaeR@ .

Funding Statement

This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund and supported by St. John’s College, University of Oxford.

1. Michael Rutter, contribution of oral history to the Dyslexia Archive, 2019.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

This topic gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices for making your PowerPoint presentations accessible and unlock your content to everyone, including people with disabilities.

PowerPoint has many features built-in that help people with different abilities to read and author presentations. In this topic, you learn, for example, how to work with the Accessibility Checker to tackle accessibility issues while you're creating your presentation. You'll also learn how to add alt texts to images so that people using screen readers are able to listen to what the image is all about. You can also read about how to use slide design, fonts, colors, and styles to maximize the inclusiveness of your slides before you share or present them to your audience.

In this topic

Best practices for making powerpoint presentations accessible.

Check accessibility while you work

Create accessible slides

Avoid using tables

Add alt text to visuals

Create accessible hyperlink text and add screentips, use accessible font format and color, use captions, subtitles, and alternative audio tracks in videos, save your presentation in a different format, test accessibility with a screen reader.

The following table includes key best practices for creating PowerPoint presentations that are accessible to people with disabilities.

Top of Page  

The Accessibility Checker is a tool that reviews your content and flags accessibility issues it comes across. It explains why each issue might be a potential problem for someone with a disability. The Accessibility Checker also suggests how you can resolve the issues that appear.

In PowerPoint, the Accessibility Checker runs automatically in the background when you're creating a presentation. If the Accessibility Checker detects accessibility issues, you will get a reminder in the status bar.

To manually launch the Accessibility Checker, select  Review  >  Check Accessibility . The  Accessibility  pane opens, and you can now review and fix accessibility issues. For more info, go to  Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker .

Top of Page

The following procedures describe how to make the slides in your PowerPoint presentations accessible. For more info, go to Video: Create slides with an accessible reading order and Video: Design slides for people with dyslexia .

Use an accessible presentation template

Use one of the accessible PowerPoint templates to make sure that your slide design, colors, contrast, and fonts are accessible for all audiences. They are also designed so that screen readers can more easily read the slide content.

To find an accessible template, select File > New .

In the Search for Online templates and themes text field, type accessible templates and press Enter.

In the search results, select a suitable template.

In the template preview, select Create .

Give every slide a title

One simple step towards inclusivity is having a unique, descriptive title on each slide, even if it isn't visible. A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which.

Use the Accessibility ribbon to make sure every slide has a title. For instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Use the Accessibility ribbon to title a slide" section.

Hide a slide title

You can position a title off the slide. That way, the slide has a title for accessibility, but you save space on the slide for other content. For instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Put a title on a slide, but make the title invisible" section.

If you want all or many of your slide titles to be hidden, you can modify the slide master. For instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Systematically hide slide titles" section.

Restore a slide design

If you've moved or edited a placeholder on a slide, you can reset the slide to its original design. All formatting (for example, fonts, colors, effects) go back to what has been assigned in the template. Restoring the design might also help you find title placeholders which need a unique title.

To restore all placeholders for the selected slide, on the Home tab, in the Slides group, select Reset .

Set the reading order of slide contents

Some people with visual disabilities use a screen reader to read the information on the slide. When you create slides, putting the objects in a logical reading order is crucial for screen reader users to understand the slide. 

Use the Accessibility Checker and the Reading Order pane to set the order in which the screen readers read the slide contents. When the screen reader reads the slide, it reads the objects in the order they are listed in the Reading Order pane. 

For the step-by-step instructions how to set the reading order, go to  Make slides easier to read by using the Reading Order pane .

Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more

PowerPoint has built-in, predesigned slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who use assistive technologies such as screen readers and people who see. For more info, go to Video: Use accessible colors and styles in slides .

On the View tab, select  Normal .

On the Design tab, do one or both of the following:

Expand the Themes gallery and select the slide layout that you want. PowerPoint automatically applies this layout to the presentation.

Select Design Ideas  and select one of the predesigned designs.

In general, avoid tables if possible and present the data another way, like paragraphs with headings. Tables with fixed width might prove difficult to read for people who use Magnifier, because such tables force the content to a specific size. This makes the font very small, which forces Magnifier users to scroll horizontally, especially on mobile devices.

If you have to use tables, use the following guidelines to make sure your table is as accessible as possible:

Avoid fixed width tables.

Make sure the tables render properly on all devices, including phones and tablets.

If you have hyperlinks in your table, edit the link texts, so they make sense and don't break mid-sentence.

Make sure the slide content is easily read with Magnifier. View it on a mobile device to make sure people won’t need to horizontally scroll the slide on a phone, for example.

Use table headers.

Test accessibility with Immersive Reader.

Use table headers

Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point. Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table. Use a simple table structure for data only and specify column header information. Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns.

To ensure that tables don't contain split cells, merged cells, or nested tables, use the  Accessibility Checker .

Place the cursor anywhere in a table.

On the  Table Design  tab, in the  Table Styles Options group, select the  Header Row  checkbox.

Type your column headings.

Alt text helps people who use screen readers to understand what’s important in the visuals in your slides. Visual content includes pictures, SmartArt graphics, shapes, groups, charts, embedded objects, ink, and videos.

In alt text, briefly describe the image, its intent, and what is important about the image. Screen readers read the description to users who can’t see the content.

Tip:  To write a good alt text, make sure to convey the content and the purpose of the image in a concise and unambiguous manner. The alt text shouldn’t be longer than a short sentence or two—most of the time a few thoughtfully selected words will do. Do not repeat the surrounding textual content as alt text or use phrases referring to images, such as, "a graphic of" or "an image of." For more info on how to write alt text, go to  Everything you need to know to write effective alt text .

Avoid using text in images as the sole method of conveying important information. If you use images with text in them, repeat the text in the slide. In alt text of such images, mention the existence of the text and its intent. 

PowerPoint for PC in Microsoft 365 automatically generates alt texts for photos, stock images, and the PowerPoint icons by using intelligent services in the cloud. Always check the autogenerated alt texts to make sure they convey the right message. If necessary, edit the text. For charts, SmartArt, screenshots, or shapes, you need to add the alt texts manually.

For the step-by-step instructions on how to add or edit alt text, go to  Add alternative text to a shape, picture, chart, SmartArt graphic, or other object  and Video: Improve image accessibility in PowerPoint .

In the Alt Text pane, spelling errors are marked with a red squiggly line under the word. To correct the spelling, right-click the word and select from the suggested alternatives.

In the Alt Text pane, you can also select Generate a description for me to have Microsoft cloud-powered intelligent services create a description for you. You see the result in the alt text field. Remember to delete any comments PowerPoint added there, for example, "Description automatically generated."

To find missing alternative text, use the Accessibility Checker.

Note:  For audio and video content, in addition to alt text, include closed captioning for people who are deaf or have limited hearing.

People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, avoid using link texts such as "Click here," "See this page," "Go here," or "Learn more." Instead include the full title of the destination page. You can also add ScreenTips that appear when your cursor hovers over text or images that include a hyperlink.

Tip:   If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate summary of what’s on the page, use it for the hyperlink text. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page:  Create more with Microsoft templates .

For the step-by-step instructions on how to create hyperlinks and ScreenTips, go to Add a hyperlink to a slide .

An accessible font doesn't exclude or slow down the reading speed of anyone reading a slide, including people with low vision or reading disability or people who are blind. The right font improves the legibility and readability of the text in the presentation.

For the step-by-step instructions on how to change fonts in PowerPoint go to Change the fonts in a presentation or  Change the default font in PowerPoint .

Use accessible font format

To reduce the reading load, select familiar sans serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri. Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics or underlines.

A person with a vision disability might miss out on the meaning conveyed by particular colors. For example, add an underline to color-coded hyperlink text so that people who are colorblind know that the text is linked even if they can’t see the color. For headings, consider adding bold or using a larger font.

Use accessible font color

Here are some ideas to consider:

The text in your presentation should be readable in a high contrast mode. For example, use bright colors or high-contrast color schemes on opposite ends of the color spectrum. White and black schemes make it easier for people who are colorblind to distinguish text and shapes.

Use the predesigned Office Themes to make sure that your slide design is accessible. For instructions, go to  Use an accessible presentation template  or  Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more .

Use the Accessibility Checker to analyze the presentation and find insufficient color contrast. It finds insufficient color contrast in text with or without highlights or hyperlinks in shapes, tables, or SmartArt with solid opaque colors. It does not find insufficient color contrast in other cases such as text in a transparent text box or placeholder on top of the slide background, or color contrast issues in non-textual content.

PowerPoint supports the playback of video with multiple audio tracks. It also supports closed captions and subtitles that are embedded in video files.

Currently, only PowerPoint for Windows supports insertion and playback of closed captions or subtitles that are stored in files separate from the video. For all other editions of PowerPoint (such as PowerPoint for macOS or the mobile editions), closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into the video before they are inserted into PowerPoint.

Supported video formats for captions and subtitles vary depending on the operating system that you're using. Each operating system has settings to adjust how the closed captions or subtitles are displayed. For more information, go to Closed Caption file types supported by PowerPoint .

Closed captions, subtitles, and alternative audio tracks are not preserved when you use the Compress Media or Optimize Media Compatibility features. Also, when turning your presentation into a video , closed captions, subtitles, or alternative audio tracks in the embedded videos are not included in the video that is saved.

When you use the Save Media as command on a selected video, closed captions, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks embedded in the video are preserved in the video file that is saved.

To make your PowerPoint presentations with videos accessible, ensure the following:

Videos include an audio track with video descriptions, if needed, for users who are blind or have low vision.

Videos that include dialogue also include closed captions, in-band closed captions, open captions, or subtitles in a supported format for users that are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

For more information, refer to  Add closed captions or subtitles to media in PowerPoint . 

You can save your presentation in a format that can be easily read by a screen reader or be ported to a Braille reader. For instructions, go to  Video: Save a presentation in a different format or  Create accessible PDFs . Before converting a presentation into another format, make sure you run the Accessibility Checker and fix all reported issues.

When your presentation is ready and you've run the Accessibility Checker to make sure it is inclusive, you can try navigating the slides using a screen reader, for example, Narrator. Narrator comes with Windows, so there's no need to install anything. This is one additional way to spot issues in the navigation order, for example.

Start the screen reader. For example, to start Narrator, press Ctrl+Windows logo key+Enter.

Press F6 until the focus, the blue rectangle, is on the slide content area.

Press the Tab key to navigate the elements within the slide and fix the navigation order if needed. To move the focus away from the slide content, press Esc or F6.

Exit the screen reader. For example, to exit Narrator, press Ctrl+Windows logo key+Enter.

Rules for the Accessibility Checker

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text

Use a screen reader to attend a PowerPoint Live session in Microsoft Teams  

Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities

Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities

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Closed Caption file types supported by PowerPoint

Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more

Use accessible hyperlink texts and screentips.

Use accessible text alignment and spacing

Create accessible lists

Test the accessibility of your slides with a screen reader.

The Accessibility Checker is a tool that reviews your content and flags accessibility issues it comes across. It explains why each issue might be a potential problem for someone with a disability. The Accessibility Checker also suggests how you can resolve the issues that appear.

PowerPoint has built-in slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who see and people who use technology such as screen readers.

Tip:  For more info on what to consider when you're creating slides for people with dyslexia, go to  Design slides for people with dyslexia .

To find an accessible template, select File > New from Template .

In the Search  text field, type accessible templates , and then press Return.

Off-white backgrounds are better for people with perceptual disabilities, like dyslexia.

Select templates and themes with sans serif fonts that are 18 points or larger.

Look for solid backgrounds with contrasting text color.

Use the  Accessibility  ribbon to make sure every slide has a title. For the step-by-step instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Use the Accessibility ribbon to title a slide" section.

Tip:  If you've moved or edited a placeholder on a slide, you can reset the slide to its original design. All formatting (for example, fonts, colors, effects) go back to what has been assigned in the template. Restoring the original design might also help you find title placeholders which need a unique title. To restore all placeholders for the selected slide, on the Home tab, select Reset .

You can position a title off the slide. That way, the slide has a title for accessibility, but you save space on the slide for other content. For the step-by-step instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Put a title on a slide, but make the title invisible" section.

If you want all or many of your slide titles to be hidden, you can modify the slide master. For the step-by-step instructions, go to  Title a slide  and expand the "Systematically hide slide titles" section.

When someone who can see reads a slide, they usually read things, such as text or a picture, in the order the elements appear on the slide. In contrast, a screen reader reads the elements on a slide in the order they were added to the slide, which might be very different from the order in which things appear.

Use the Selection Pane to set the order in which screen readers read the slide contents. Screen readers read the objects in the reverse of the order they are listed in the Selection Pane .

To find slides with a problematic reading order, use the Accessibility Checker .

On the Home tab, select Arrange .

In the Arrange menu, select Selection Pane .

In the Selection Pane , to change the reading order, drag and drop items to the new location.

Avoid using tables 

In general, avoid tables if possible and present the data another way, like paragraphs with headings. Tables with fixed width might prove difficult to read for people who use magnifying features or apps, because such tables force the content to a specific size. This makes the font very small, which forces magnifier users to scroll horizontally, especially on mobile devices.

Make sure the slide content is easily read with magnifying features, such as Zoom . View it on a mobile device to make sure people won’t need to horizontally scroll the slide on a phone, for example.

Use table headers .

Test the accessibility of your slides with a screen reader .

If you do need to use tables, add headers to your table to help screen readers keep track of the columns and rows. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point. Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table. Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns. 

Type the column headers.

Avoid using text in images as the sole method of conveying important information. If you use images with text in them, repeat the text in the slide. In alt text of such images, mention the existence of the text and its intent.

For the step-by-step instructions on how to add or edit alt text, go to  Add alternative text to a shape, picture, chart, SmartArt graphic, or other object .

For audio and video content, in addition to alt text, include closed captioning for people who are deaf or have limited hearing.

In the  Alt Text  pane, spelling errors are marked with a red squiggly line under the word. To correct the spelling, select and right-click the word, and then select an option from the suggested alternatives.

In the  Alt Text  pane, you can also select  Generate a description for me  to have Microsoft cloud-powered intelligent services create a description for you. You'll see the result in the alt text field. Remember to delete any comments PowerPoint added there, for example, "Description automatically generated."

To find missing alternative text, use the  Accessibility Checker .

People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, avoid using link texts such as "Click here," "See this page," "Go here," or "Learn more." Instead include the full title of the destination page. You can also add ScreenTips that appear when your cursor hovers over text or images that include a hyperlink. 

Tip:  If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate summary of what’s on the page, use it for the hyperlink text. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page: Create more with Microsoft templates .

For the step-by-step instructions on how to create hyperlinks, go to  Add a hyperlink to a slide . 

Use accessible font format and color

For the step-by-step instructions on how to change fonts in PowerPoint, go to  Change the fonts in a presentation . 

Use the predesigned themes to make sure that your slide design is accessible. For instructions, go to  Use an accessible presentation template  or  Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more .

Use the Accessibility Checker to analyze the presentation and find insufficient color contrast. It finds insufficient color contrast in text with or without highlights or hyperlinks in shapes, tables, or SmartArt with solid opaque colors. It does not find insufficient color contrast in other cases such as text in a transparent text box or placeholder on top of the slide background, or color contrast issues in non-textual content.

Use accessible text alignment and spacing 

People with dyslexia perceive text in a way that can make it difficult to distinguish letters and words. For example, they might perceive a line of text compressing into the line below, or adjacent letters seeming to merge. Also, having multiple blank lines or consecutive spaces can make keyboard navigation slow and screen reader usage more cumbersome.

Align your paragraph to the left to avoid uneven gaps between words, and increase or decrease the white space between lines to improve readability. Include sufficient white space between lines and paragraphs but avoid more than two spaces between words and two blank lines between paragraphs.

Select the piece of text you want to modify.

To make it easier for screen readers to read your slides, organize the information into small chunks such as bulleted or numbered lists.

Design lists so that you do not need to add a plain paragraph without a bullet or number to the middle of a list. If your list is broken up by a plain paragraph, some screen readers might announce the number of list items wrong. Also, the user might hear in the middle of the list that they are leaving the list.

Place the cursor where you want to create a list.

Type the text you want for each bullet or numbered item in the list.

Closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into the video before it is inserted into PowerPoint. PowerPoint does not support closed captions or subtitles that are stored in a separate file from the video file.

Supported video formats for captions and subtitles vary depending on the operating system that you're using. Each operating system has settings to adjust how the closed captions or subtitles are displayed. For more information, go to  Closed Caption file types supported by PowerPoint.

Closed captions, subtitles, and alternative audio tracks are not preserved when you use the Compress Media or Optimize Media Compatibility features. To learn more about optimizing media for compatibility, go to the section "Optimize media in your presentation for compatibility" in  Are you having video or audio playback issues?  Also, when turning your presentation into a video , closed captions, subtitles, or alternative audio tracks in the embedded videos are not included in the video that is saved.

When you use the Save Media as command on a selected video, closed captions, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks embedded in the video are preserved in the video file that is saved. For more info, go to  Save embedded media from a presentation (audio or video) .

Videos include an audio track with video descriptions, if needed, for users that are blind or have low vision.

Videos that include dialogue also include closed captions, in-band closed captions, open captions, or subtitles in a supported format for users that are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

When your presentation is ready and you've run the Accessibility Checker to make sure it is inclusive, you can try navigating the slides using a screen reader, for example, VoiceOver. VoiceOver comes with macOS, so there's no need to install anything. This is one additional way to spot issues in the navigation order, for example.

Start the screen reader. For example, to start VoiceOver, press Command+F5.

Press F6 until the focus, the black rectangle, is on the slide content area.

Exit the screen reader. For example, to exit VoiceOver, press Command+F5.

Best practices for making PowerPoint presentations accessible

Use accessible hyperlink texts

Use accessible text format and color

Test the accessibility of your slides

PowerPoint has built-in, predesigned slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who use assistive technologies such as screen readers and people who see.

Select  Home > Design .

Select  Themes , and then select the theme you want.

One simple step towards inclusivity is having a unique, descriptive title on each slide, even if it isn't visible. A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which. With descriptive titles on each slide, everyone can quickly scan through a list of slide titles and go right to the slide they want.

On a slide, select the title placeholder, and then type the title.

Go through each slide in your presentation to make sure they all have titles.

Hide a slide title 

You can position a title off the slide. That way, the slide has a title for accessibility, but you save space on the slide for other content.

On a slide, tap and hold the title element.

Drag the title element outside the slide boundary and then lift your finger off the screen to drop the element off the slide.

Test the accessibility of your slides .

Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point. Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table. Use a simple table structure for data only and specify column header information. Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns. 

Select  Style Options and then select Header Row .

In your table, type the column headings.

Select the visual, for example, an image.

Select  Alt Text , and then type a description for the visual.

Mark visuals as decorative

If your visuals are purely decorative and add visual interest but aren't informative, you can mark them as such without needing to write any alt text. Examples of objects that should be marked as decorative are stylistic borders. People using screen readers will hear that these objects are decorative, so they know they aren’t missing any important information. 

Select the visual, for example, a picture or chart.

Select Alt Text .

Turn on the Mark as decorative switch, and then select Done .

Use accessible hyperlink texts 

People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, avoid using link texts such as "Click here," "See this page," "Go here," or "Learn more." Instead include the full title of the destination page.

Tip:  If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate summary of what’s on the page, use it for the hyperlink text. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page:  Create more with Microsoft templates .

Select the piece of text you want to turn into a hyperlink. The context menu opens.

In the context menu, select Link . The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.

Type or paste the hyperlink URL to the ADDRESS text field.

If you want to change the hyperlink text, modify the text in the DISPLAY text field.

Use accessible text format and color

An accessible font doesn't exclude or slow down the reading speed of anyone reading a slide, including people with low vision or reading disability or people who are blind. The right font improves the legibility and readability of the text in the presentation. 

Use accessible text format 

Select the piece of text you want to format.

On the Home tab, select the current font type to open the font menu, and then select the font type you want or adjust the font size to your liking.

Use accessible text color

Use the predesigned Themes  to make sure that your slide design is accessible. For instructions, go to  Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more .

On the Home tab, select Font Color , and then pick the font color you want.

Select the text you want to modify.

Create accessible lists 

Design lists so that you do not need to add a plain paragraph without a bullet or number to the middle of a list. If your list is broken up by a plain paragraph, some screen readers might announce the number of list items wrong. Also, the user might hear in the middle of the list that they are leaving the list. 

On a slide, place the cursor where you want to create a list.

On the Home tab, select Bullets or Numbering , and then select the bullet or numbering style you want.

Type the first bulleted or numbered item in the list, and then select return on the on-screen keyboard. A new list item is added. Repeat this step for each list item you want to add.

When your slides are ready, you can try a few things to make sure they are accessible:

Switch to the full desktop or web version of PowerPoint, and then run the Accessibility Checker. The Accessibility Checker is a tool that reviews your content and flags accessibility issues it comes across. It explains why each issue might be a potential problem for someone with a disability. The Accessibility Checker also suggests how you can resolve the issues that appear. For instructions, go to  Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker .

In the PowerPoint for iOS app, you can try navigating the slides using the built-in screen reader, VoiceOver. VoiceOver comes with iOS, so there's no need to install anything. This is one additional way to spot issues in the navigation order, for example.

To turn on VoiceOver, do one of the following:

In your device settings, select  Accessibility  >  VoiceOver , and then turn on the  VoiceOver  switch.

Press the power button of your device three times.

To navigate the content in the slide, swipe left or right. Modify the reading order of the elements on the slides if necessary.

Tip:  To select an item in focus when VoiceOver is on, double-tap the screen.

To turn off VoiceOver, do one of the following:

In your device settings, select  Accessibility  >  VoiceOver , and then turn off the  VoiceOver  switch.

Make your OneNote notebooks accessible to people with disabilities

PowerPoint has built-in, predesigned slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who use assistive technologies such as screen readers and people who see. 

Give every slide a title 

One simple step towards inclusivity is having a unique, descriptive title on each slide, even if it isn't visible. A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which. With descriptive titles on each slide, everyone can quickly scan through a list of slide titles and go right to the slide they want. 

Select  Style Options , and then select Header Row .

In the table, type the column headings.

On a slide, select a visual.

Select the visual.

Select  Alt Text .

Select the Mark as decorative checkbox.

Select the piece of text you want to turn into a hyperlink.

Select Home > Insert > Link .

Do one of the following:

To insert a hyperlink to a web page, select Insert Link . Type or paste the hyperlink URL to the  Address text field. If you want to change the hyperlink text, modify the text in the  Text to display text field.

To insert a link to a recent document, browse the Recent Items list until you find the one you want, and then select it.

On the  Home  tab, you can do, for example, the following:

To change the font type, select the current font type to open the Font menu, and then select the font type you want.

To adjust the font size, select the current font size, and then select the new font size.

Use the predesigned  Themes  to make sure that your slide design is accessible. For the step-by-step instructions, go to  Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more .

On the  Home  tab, expand the  Font Color menu, and then pick the color you want.

On the  Home  tab, select  Bullets  or  Numbering , and then select the bullet or numbering style you want.

Test the accessibility of your slides 

In the PowerPoint for Android app, you can try navigating the slides using the built-in screen reader, TalkBack. TalkBack comes with Android, so there's no need to install anything. This is one additional way to spot issues in the navigation order, for example.

To turn on TalkBack, do one of the following:

In your device settings, select  Accessibility  >  TalkBack , and then turn on the  Use service  switch.

Press and hold the volume keys of your device until the device vibrates.

Tip:  To select an item in focus when TalkBack is on, double-tap the screen.

To turn off TalkBack, do one of the following:

In your device settings, select  Accessibility  >  TalkBack , and then turn off the  Use service  switch.

Best practices for making PowerPoint for the web presentations accessible

Add alt text to visuals and tables.

The following table includes key best practices for creating PowerPoint for the web presentations that are accessible to people with disabilities.

Check accessibility while you work 

To manually launch the Accessibility Checker, select  Review  >  Check Accessibility . The  Accessibility  pane opens, and you can now review and fix accessibility issues. For more info, go to  Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker .

PowerPoint for the web has built-in slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who see and people who use technology such as screen readers.

Tip:   For more info on what to consider when you're creating slides for people with dyslexia, go to  Design slides for people with dyslexia .

In your browser, go to Accessible PowerPoint template sampler .

On the Accessible PowerPoint template sampler  page, select Download . The template sampler is downloaded to your device.

Open the sampler in the full desktop version of PowerPoint, select a suitable slide design, and save it.

Open PowerPoint for the web in your browser, open the selected design, and create your presentation.

Use the  Accessibility  ribbon to make sure every slide has a title. For the step-by-step instructions, go to the section "Use the Accessibility ribbon to title a slide" in  Title a slide .

You can position a title off the slide. That way, the slide has a title for accessibility, but you save space on the slide for other content. For the step-by-step instructions, go to the section "Put a title on a slide, but make the title invisible" in  Title a slide .

Use an accessible reading order for the slide contents

Use the  Selection Pane  to set the order in which screen readers read the slide contents. Screen readers read the objects in the reverse of the order they are listed in the  Selection Pane .

To find slides with a problematic reading order, use the  Accessibility Checker .

On the Home tab, select Arrange > Selection Pane .

If you do need to use tables, add headers to your table to help screen readers keep track of the columns and rows. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point. Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table. Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns.

Select Table Design .

In the alt text description field, spelling errors are marked with a red squiggly line under the word.

In the visual's Alt Text  pane, you can also select  Generate a description for me  to have Microsoft cloud-powered intelligent services create a description for you. You'll see the result in the alt text field. Remember to delete any comments PowerPoint added there, for example, "Description automatically generated."

To add alt text to visuals and tables, do one of the following:

To add alt text to an image, do one of the following:

Right-click an image. Select Alt Text... .

Select an image. Select Picture  > Alt Text .

To add alt text to a SmartArt graphic, select a SmartArt graphic, and then select SmartArt  > Alt Text .

To add alt text to a shape or embedded video, select a shape or video, and then select Shape > Alt Text .

To add alt text to a table, place the cursor in any cell, and then select  Table Layout > Alt Text .

For images, type a description. For SmartArt graphics, shapes, videos, and tables, type a title and description.

For the step-by-step instructions on how to create hyperlinks, go to  Add a hyperlink to a slide .

To change the font format or color, select the piece of text you want to modify

Select the Home tab.

In the Font group, select your formatting options, for example, a different font type or color.

Type the text you want for each bulleted or numbered item in the list.

PowerPoint supports the playback of video with multiple audio tracks. It also supports closed captions and subtitles that are embedded in video files.

Closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into the video before it is inserted into PowerPoint. PowerPoint does not support closed captions or subtitles that are stored in a separate file from the video file.

Closed captions, subtitles, and alternative audio tracks are not preserved when you use the  Compress Media  or Optimize Media Compatibility features. To learn more about optimizing media for compatibility, go to the section "Optimize media in your presentation for compatibility" in  Are you having video or audio playback issues?  Also, when turning your presentation into a video, closed captions, subtitles, or alternative audio tracks in the embedded videos are not included in the video that is saved.

When you use the  Save Media as  command on a selected video, closed captions, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks embedded in the video are preserved in the video file that is saved. For more info, go to  Save embedded media from a presentation (audio or video) .

To make your PowerPoint presentations with videos accessible, ensure the following:

Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker

Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities ​​​​​​​

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk .

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Activities for Dyslexia

It seems that you like this template, activities for dyslexia presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

From Slidesgo, we want to be committed to all teachers to organize and prepare their classes for all their students, regardless of whether they have any special educational needs. In this template, we have focused on creating a set of activities for those students with dyslexia to make their learning a dynamic, fun, adapted and productive process. The activities range from phonics, grammar, word formation, vocabulary... In addition, the design style is very cute and colorful, as you can see in the illustrations of animals and letters. By the way, do you see the audio symbol on some of the slides? We have also included audio of animal sounds to make these activities the best in the world!

Features of this template

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Students with dyslexia face challenges transitioning to the workplace, but with support they can thrive

PhD Candidate in Business Administration and Management, Concordia University

Disclosure statement

Sarah Rahimi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Concordia University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.

Universitié Concordia provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA-FR.

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Transitioning from university to the workplace is a critical period in anyone’s life, but it can be especially challenging for students with dyslexia. While academic settings often offer accommodations for people with dyslexia, professional environments often fall short on such support systems.

Fortunately, there are strategic interventions that can be established in workplaces to help individuals with dyslexia not only adapt, but excel in their careers.

It is estimated that up to 20 per cent of the population has dyslexia and 80 per cent of people with a learning disability have dyslexia , making it the most common learning disability. Dyslexia impacts a person’s reading and spelling abilities, but does not impact their overall intelligence .

People with dyslexia have unique strengths that can be valuable in the workplace. With workplaces increasingly placing importance on diversity and inclusion, understanding and supporting employees with dyslexia is crucial not only for the individual success of employees, but for organizational effectiveness of workplaces at large.

Transitioning from university to the workplace

Universities often provide resources like extra time on exams, specialized tutoring and alternative formats to materials (for example, recordings, alternate text formats and videos with subtitles).

Unfortunately, these accommodations and support are less readily available in the workplace. This change in accommodations and support can be stressful and impact the performance of new employees with dyslexia.

Common workplace tasks such as reading lengthy emails, writing detailed reports or following multi-step instructions can be more time-consuming and lead to mistakes for individuals with dyslexia. This is not because of a lack of skill or intelligence, but rather stems from differences in the way individuals with dyslexia process information.

Employers should recognize the challenges faced by employees with dyslexia and implement accommodations to ensure equal opportunities for success in the workplace.

Employees with dyslexia often face challenges at work — such as mental exhaustion, fatigue, burnout, stress and discrimination — when they do not get enough support. The absence of workplace support can not only affect their professional performance and career progression but can also impact their overall well-being and self-esteem .

Creating a path to success

Inclusive workplace practices can make a significant difference. Creating a supportive and understanding work environment can help individuals with dyslexia thrive in the workplace. The following are some effective strategies workplaces can use to better support individuals with dyslexia.

1. Structured and clear communication: Ensure workplace communications use clear, concise language in both written and verbal forms . This ensures clarity and reduces misunderstandings.

2. Technology utilization: Use assistive technologies such as text-to-speech software, audio texts and digital organizers to help individuals with dyslexia overcome challenges with reading and writing.

3. Flexibility in the workplace: Offer flexible working hours to employees . This would allow individuals with dyslexia to work during their peak productivity times and manage tasks in ways that play to their strengths.

4. Leveraging strengths: Employers should recognize and leverage the unique skills of individuals with dyslexia to create a more inclusive and productive workplace. These skills can include advanced problem-solving skills, creativity and the ability to visualize complex scenarios and see the big picture . Roles that emphasize big-picture or creative thinking, or innovative problem-solving are well suited to individuals with dyslexia.

5. Self-advocacy: Encourage individuals with dyslexia to advocate for themselves in the workplace, whether by disclosing their needs or seeking necessary accommodations. There is no law that says individuals must self-disclose , but it can help and make a difference to be open about one’s needs and the accommodations that can improve productivity.

6. Professional development: Continuously working on one’s personal and professional skills can help individuals with dyslexia thrive in the workplace. This includes attending workshops and training sessions, networking with other individuals that have dyslexia and mentorship. These opportunities can provide additional support, strategies, advice and guidance.

A collective effort

By improving accessibility and implementing key strategies, employers can create an environment where individuals with dyslexia feel supported, valued and empowered to contribute to the success of their organizations.

Creating a work environment that helps individuals with dyslexia thrive is a collective effort from employers, colleagues and individuals with dyslexia. Embracing inclusivity and recognizing the challenges and strengths of individuals with dyslexia can create a more diverse workforce.

A more diverse and inclusive workforce not only helps individuals with dyslexia, but can benefit everyone — it encourages different ways of thinking, adaptability and innovation. With the right support, transitioning from university to the workplace can be a journey of growth and success.

By acknowledging the strengths and potential of employees with dyslexia and making reasonable accommodations, employers can harness the unique talents of these individuals. This can lead to increased productivity, creativity and overall success for both the employees and the organization as a whole.

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7 key signs of Dyslexia: Understanding the common indicators

D yslexia is a learning disorder that affects a person's ability to read, write, spell, and sometimes speak. It is important to note that dyslexia manifests differently in individuals, and not all individuals will exhibit the same signs or symptoms. These signs and symptoms of dyslexia can vary in severity and presentation among individuals. While these signs may raise suspicion of dyslexia, a formal assessment by a qualified professional, such as an educational psychologist or a specialized teacher, is necessary to diagnose dyslexia accurately. Early identification and intervention are crucial for individuals with dyslexia. With appropriate support, accommodations, and specialized instruction, individuals with dyslexia can develop strategies to overcome challenges and thrive academically and personally.

Here are seven signs to understand if someone has dyslexia:

1. Difficulty with reading and spelling

One of the primary signs of dyslexia is persistent difficulty with reading and spelling. Individuals with dyslexia may struggle to decode words, have trouble recognizing familiar words, and make frequent spelling errors. They may also experience challenges in understanding the order of letters or sounds within words.

2. Slow reading and writing

Dyslexic individuals often read at a slower pace compared to their peers. They may require more time to process written information and struggle with fluency. Writing tasks can also be laborious, with noticeable delays and errors. This slow processing speed can impact academic performance and overall productivity.

3. Poor phonological awareness

Phonological awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds in words. Dyslexic individuals may have difficulty recognizing and working with the sounds of language, such as blending sounds or isolating specific sounds within a word. This can make it challenging for them to grasp the relationship between letters and sounds.

4. Reversals and transpositions

Another sign of dyslexia is the frequent occurrence of letter and number reversals, such as mistaking "b" for "d" or "6" for "9". Transposing or switching the order of letters within words, such as writing "was" as "saw," is also common. These errors can persist even after repeated instruction and practice.

5. Poor organizational skills

Dyslexic individuals often struggle with organizational skills and may have difficulty keeping track of assignments, schedules, and deadlines. They may find it challenging to follow instructions or remember sequences of steps. These difficulties can impact academic performance, work productivity, and daily life activities.

6. Difficulty with directionality and spatial awareness

Many individuals with dyslexia have trouble with directionality and spatial awareness. They may confuse left and right, have difficulty understanding maps or navigating in unfamiliar environments, and struggle with tasks that require a sense of spatial orientation, such as reading charts or graphs.

7. Low self-esteem and frustration

Dyslexia can significantly impact an individual's self-esteem and emotional well-being. Constant academic challenges, along with potential social difficulties, can lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and low self-confidence. Dyslexic individuals may avoid reading and writing tasks, develop negative attitudes toward learning, and exhibit behavioral issues as a result.

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'Literacy for Life: A Protect Our Children Special Presentation' airs Saturday, May 18 on Channel 7

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Literacy for Life: A Protect Our Children Special Presentation," hosted by Shirleen Allicot, focuses on the importance of teaching children to read and write and how illiteracy can set a person up for a lifetime of limitations.

The 30-minute special includes an interview with New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, who talks about the Department of Education's shift toward a phonics-based curriculum and how it's already showing positive results. We interview a kindergarten teacher and go inside her classroom as she shows us how she instructs phonics.

The special also includes an interview with legendary entertainer, Carol Burnett, who talks to us about being a child-literacy advocate since the early days of her stellar career. The show also features a story about what the New York Public Libraryis doing to bridge the literacy gap between home and the classroom. We speak to a librarian about the NYPL's after-school tutoring program and a second grade student whose reading skills have soared since being tutored.

"Literacy for Life" also profiles Barbershop Books, a nationwide program that started in Harlem, designed to help instill a love for reading in young Black boys and other at-risk youth.

Finally, we end the show with a candid conversation with Whoopi Goldberg, who speaks about her struggle with dyslexia as a child and how she learned to overcome it. Whoopi is just one of many reading role models we profile in our uplifting special.

Throughout the show, there will also be informative and inspirational bumps about literacy and the people working tirelessly to get books in the hands of every child and instill a love for reading.

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Vigil held in honor of woman stabbed to death in Washington Heights

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Trump holds rally at Crotona Park in South Bronx

Sean Kingston, mom arrested on fraud, theft charges after SWAT raid

Students hospitalized after pepper spray incident at Queens school

NCAA, Power 5 conferences agree to let schools pay players

AccuWeather: Clearing, warm and dry

FDNY reunites survivors with first responders who helped save them

Power outages, trees down as storms move through Tri-State area