Writing for Those with Reading Difficulties
The first rule of writing is: know your audience. For the blogger that means being on the lookout for the trend of the moment—the thing that interests a lot of people. After that, to at least some extent, attracting and keeping readers is about getting there first—finding the trend and blogging about it before everyone and his dog blogs about it, too.
Of course, if you get there first, but your writing has no pizazz, you’ll miss your mark and your audience will pass you by without a second thought. But that’s just one hump. It’s not just about the writing. If you want your blog to be a draw you’ll want to make judicious use of graphic design and graphic images so your blog compels the eyes to take a closer look at the content.
Cool Graphics
So, say you’ve covered those bases: your finger is on the pulse of what’s new and interesting, you’ve got a great design, and you use lots of cool graphics. You’re batting a thousand. But then, so are dozens, nay hundreds of others in the blogosphere.
How can you get that qualitative edge that will generate the numbers, too (okay, okay—you’ll confess—numbers are important)? How do you grab more readers and keep them from going elsewhere?
The answer is in redefining your target audience. Most bloggers overlook a significant sector of their readership: those with reading difficulties.
Whoa. That’s perplexing! Reading difficulties? How many potential readers have a reading difficulty? Are there so many that you need to take them into account?
Perhaps more to the point: what is it that you’re expected to do for them, exactly? If they can’t read, they can’t read. Maybe the blogosphere isn’t for those people who find it hard to read? Not that you mean to sound callous or anything.
The Stats
Okay. Let’s look at the statistics, as blurry as they may be. No one seems to be able to pinpoint the exact number of people who have dyslexia, but there are two figures that are cited over and over again. The first is the National Institute of Health (NIH) figure that says 2%-15% of the U.S. population has dyslexia. The second is the worldwide figure for dyslexia, which is said to be one in every ten people. Then there’s Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a leading expert in the field of dyslexia, who says that the U.S. figure for dyslexia is closer to 20% of the population.
Twenty percent of the U.S. population is a heckuva lot of readers. But reading difficulties aren’t limited to those with dyslexia. Dyslexia is just one type of reading difficulty. Slow or poor readers and those with visual impairments jack up the numbers even higher. What wouldn’t you give to grab another 20% or more of the reading public so you could hoist them over to your blog?
Sounds like just the ticket to edge out the numbers competition, doesn’t it?
Brass Tacks
So let’s get down to brass tacks. How can you get your content across to those who find it hard to read? Is there a steep learning curve to wooing this sector of the population?
The good news is that most of what you need to know about writing for those with reading difficulties is stuff you’ve already assimilated. Good writing and design practices solve most of the problems that get in the way of making your blog legible to people who find it hard to read. If you’re a whiz at writing and you’ve got a handle on design issues, your blog is already reaching out to those with reading issues.
Take paragraphs, for instance. A good paragraph contains just one subject. And guess what? Shorter paragraphs are easier to read.
Dyslexic readers have trouble keeping the place in a very long paragraph. Short chunks of text, on the other hand, make your blog a pleasure for them to read.
Dubious Custom
Next we have the issue of double-spacing after periods; a dubious custom which so many of us were taught by our teachers in school. The practice dates back to the time typewriters dictated the use of mono-spaced fonts. Double-spacing after periods made it easier to identify the ends of typewritten sentences.
But modern fonts are a vast improvement over those old-fashioned mono-spaced fonts. There’s no longer any need for double-spacing after periods. Double-spacing creates vertical rivers of white space within the text for those with dyslexia. That makes it hard for the dyslexic reader to identify where sentences start and end. One space after a period is just enough space to help the dyslexic reader find the beginnings and ends of sentences.
Now to the stuff you wouldn’t have known about making your blog accessible to those who find it difficult to read. Most of us expect to see black text on a white background. But pure black against pure white generates too great a contrast for those with reading problems. The high contrast creates a blur effect for some readers with dyslexia in which the letters seem to whirl into each other. By adding a smidgen of gray to text and background colors, you’ll reduce the glare and eliminate much of the blur effect.
Decorative Hooks
Another way to pamper readers with reading issues is to stick to sans serif fonts. Serifs are little decorative hooks that are added to the ends of letter strokes. They may make text attractive, but for those with dyslexia, the hooks can make letters difficult to identify. Sans serif just means that the font lacks these problematic little hooks. The WINDOWS font that is easiest to read seems to be Trebuchet MS.
The blogger who aims to attract those with reading difficulties to his website should also be forewarned that italics are a no-no. The letters slant to one side and have jagged edges. These unusual letter traits make letters indistinct and all but illegible for those who find it hard to read. Emphasize text by bolding it, instead.
A blogger generally gets just one chance at drawing new readers. If the person with dyslexia finds it a challenge to read your content, he’s going to pass your blog by, even if you’re the next Hemingway. But if you sidestep these common design mistakes, you’ll not only widen your audience, you’ll make your blog a joy to read.
Excellent article; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also garnered ideas from it that will help me in my teaching.
Thank you. I’m glad if my article helped you somehow!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
Great article. Well written, and, of course, easy to follow. I hope to take these tips and implement them in my writing.
Thanks, Avital! I’ve never seen your writing. I’d like to see your work.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
“By adding a smidgeon of gray to text and background colors, you’ll reduce the glare and eliminate much of the blur effect.” I never even considered that, so i may work to change that on my blog. I’ve never double-spaced after periods, but that may reflect a typing lesson I learned 40 years ago. I didn’t know that 20% figure, and that means grabbing a larger readership would be significant for me. Using these techniques should help a lot, thank you.
Yeah, that 20% figure grabs everyone, especially since it comes from THE expert on dyslexia, Dr. Sally Shaywitz. Glad if these tips and techniques help make us all more reader-friendly!
Twitter: JlemGenealogist
says:
I love how the photo next to the section “Dubious Custom” crowds the text into a narrow space, creating lots of white spaces – subtly illustrating the precise point that the text there is trying to make.
Yeah, well the rules of the contest were that we note where we want our photos and let the powers that be insert the photos. I couldn’t really visualize how the photos would look without inserting them myself.
By now you should know that when you see something like that, it’s out of the writer’s control and refrain from driving the knife in deeper, even in such a subtle way as this
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
I would certainly have changed the size of that photo after seeing it next to the text. Like I said, out of my hands.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
I thank you for this informative article both as a translator/editor/writer and as the mother of a child with reading difficulties. It’s definitely provided food for thought.
Thanks, Debbie. You’re a doll. You’ve been so supportive of me on Facebook, sharing my articles. I’m glad if you got something out of my article.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
Very interesting. One more thing: Someone like me who finds it frustratingly slow going to read will stick to short items – so keep it short.
I learned a while ago to use only sans serif fonts but have always held on to the two spaces after a period rule I learned in school. It would never have occurred to me that that would create a problem–I thought the spacing was helpful. I guess I’d better learn a new habit. The idea of bolding instead of using italics makes sense.
I would think that a page like this one, with so many random and unconnected graphics and calls to action, would be difficult for someone with reading problems to follow as well. I hardly know where to look and the article topic appears below the fold. Surely that is confusing? (Though I realize it is not in the writer’s control.)
Thanks for your comments, Nili my Friend.
What you say about the graphics is true. Usually, I play around with positioning graphics and with the size of the actual graphics. But in this case, the rules of the contest were such that we just sent in our graphics as attachments and allowed the contest people to insert them. I had no way to visualize how the size of the photos or their positioning would work alongside the article. Come see my work at CogniBeat and you’ll see better photo placement: http://community.cognibeat.com/ though even there, WordPress places constraints on what I’m able to do with graphics.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
I not only decided to run the AgileEye on my son, I’ve also recommended it to someone at work whose son has both dyslexia and dyscalculia. Looking forward to reaping the results! Good on ‘ya!
Oh! I really hope AgileEye helps him. Thanks for spreading the word and for coming here to comment. It’s so appreciated, my Friend
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
Cleverly written article. Kept me hooked all the way through! You gave great advice on gaining and maintaining the attention of all readers, and not just those with reading difficulties!
Thank you, Zahava. High praise indeed, coming from a published author like yourself!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read
Who exactly is paying to read your blogs? I get photo placement, common interests, and web design… but exactly “how” are people making actual money doing it? Blogging, and gaining freinds online comes easy to me!
Well, there are several ways to make money blogging. One way is to get hired to ghost blog for others. But I guess most of us rely on Google Adsense. If you have terrific content and get lots of traffic, companies may pay you to advertise on their websites.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
Thanks, Varda, for your research and a great presentation. A subject I’ve not thought about, but now I will.
You’re a pal, Elazar! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
Very informative! I really never gave blogging much thought. It’s much more involved than I realised!
Thanks for commenting, Susan. See? I didn’t even have to break your legs!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
Enjoyed the article, especially the graphics. Your writing is engaging, witty, and keeps my interest. I’ll keep your suggestions in mind if I ever decide to blog or even if I don’t and my target audience could potentially include anyone with reading difficulties.
Thanks, Shelly Darlin’! Yes. These tips are good for general writing, too. They should make any writing you do, easier to read.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
I can certainly attest to the statement that smart people can’t always read. An acquaintance of mine was considered “slow” by his parents and teachers. He conquered his problem (dyslexia) and went on to become a vice president of one of the worlds largest corporations.
Keep up the good work!
Wow! That’s an amazing story. No one can cure dyslexia, but one can take this learning difference and use it to good advantage. Many entrepreneurs have dyslexia. The reason? Dyslexics have a talent for visualizing the big picture. Thanks for your comment!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
This is a well written article with good advice for attracting most of today’s “fast-food” readers who want to read quickly and easily! I will use this for my new blog
Thank you, Meira! I’d love to see your blog when it’s up. Make sure to send me a link.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
It’s so easy to make subtle changes in order to make writing more accessible! This information should be taught to everyone who writes! Thanks for raising my awareness.
…and thank you for your kind words. I’m glad if my article helped draw your attention to this issue.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
Although I’ve put my share of words into the blogger world, I admit that I’ve never considered the needs of people with reading difficulties. Thank you for bringing those issues up to my awareness!
Oh! I’m glad if my article helped bring this issue to your attention. The hope is that more bloggers will consider the significant number of people who have a reading difficulty. Thanks for your comments, Heather.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
Fantastic article! I found it to be very informative and well written! Thank you!
It’s nice of you to say so, Elana
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- The Importance Of Exercise In The LD Child
You know…I never thought about this stuff before. If the figure is really that high, I’m going to implement these changes you’ve suggested. The tips you gave sound as though they’d make any blog more readable even for people who have no reading difficulties. Thanks for this useful information.
Yeah. Most people don’t realize how many people have reading issues. I’m happy if my article opened your eyes on this score! Thanks for your comments.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
This very well written piece by Varda was especially informative and beneficial to me. I have a blog as part of my photography business and i was always wondering how to maximize the readership of my blog. These ideas are insightful, easy to implement and will hopefully add to the traffic on my blog…or better yet i might just have Varda do the writing on my blog!
Aha! That’s an interesting idea, my Friend. Thank you for these obviously heartfelt compliments!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
A wonderful article!
I always wondered why we put two spaces after a period and I’ve done it for YEARS! I guess you can teach an old dog (me) new tricks. Thank you for the education
Johnny, you’re a pal! Thanks for reading my article and leaving a comment
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
I’m going to keep this short to make it easier to digest: Great article!
Thanks.
Someone read this article VERY closely. LOL. Thanks for coming by, reading and commenting, Yael!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Varda,
Your writing is always refreshing and informative. This article has been an eyeopener!
It seems you successfuly implemented the ideas into this entry. I look forward to your future articles.
Haya
Haya, you’re a dear! Thanks for reading through the article and leaving a thoughtful comment for me
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Twitter: GrowOnlineBiz
says:
Hey Varda,
Great advice on attracting your readers and keeping them interested in your content. Thanks for sharing your insights.
All the best with the contest
Mavis
Mavis Nong´s recent blog post ..How to Beat the Changes to Organic Traffic Generation Rules
Thanks for coming by and reading my blog, Mavis! Good luck to you, too. I’ll go take a look at your blog, right now
Thanks so much for letting us in on these “little secrets”! I can pretty easily implement most of these suggestions, but as you probably noticed, I have been use to placing two spaces after periods, question marks and exclamation points all of my typing life. I’m also a fast typist (I’m also a pianist.), so I will have to slow way down to try to put only one space after the above punctuations. The only other problem is that now we are all in on these “little secrets”, so we no longer have a “leg up” on our competitors! But thanks so much for the info. (You’re a great writer!)
It’s hard to break a lifetime habit of double-spacing after punctuation marks, for sure. But if I know you Gayle, I know you can do anything you set your mind to doing
Thank you for the nice words about my writing!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Okay, Varda, how did you change all of my double spaces to only one?
I think that culprit would be WordPress. The computer program must be justifying the text. Oops! LOL.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Interesting article. I’ve always filled out the alt attribute for images with the goal of helping visually impaired people, but I’d never thought of people with reading difficulties like dyslexia. Thanks for giving me more to think about!
Abbie Waters´s recent blog post ..How Much Does IVF Cost
Images are good for dyslexic people too, Abbie. At our community portal we always pair articles with at least three graphics or better yet, a video clip. It helps add context to the article and helps to fill any gaps in understanding. Keep using colorful graphics. It is appreciated.
Thanks for your comments!
As am aspiring writer myself, I will certainly use your valuable tips to expand my readership. They make so much sense when you consider the difficulties these people must cope with on a daily basis. I’m sure your blog will do much to alleviate the problems they face.
I hope so! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Good luck on your writing!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Wow! Never thought of any of this stuff. But from now on, you can bet I’ll be thinking about it and incorporating these tips into my own blog entries. Excellent article. Thanks.
Glad you gained something from reading my article. I can’t wait to see those blog entries! Make sure to send me a link.
Twitter: annepreston
says:
From the perspective of having my own challenges reading;some of these tweaks might help me enjoy writing my blog more too!.
Thanks!
Anne Preston´s recent blog post ..Personal Leadership – How Being IRKED Can Serve the World
Anne, you are my best reward for writing this piece! I am so glad to hear that my article might help you find writing your blog more enjoyable
Best of luck.
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Twitter: moredairysir
says:
This is a topic with a great deal of gravity, for I am dyslexic (Diagnosed 32 years ago, at age 10), and I am a voracious consumer of the blogosphere.
I’ve been reading “The Gift of Dyslexia,” written by Ronald D. Davis, and I’m convinced we’re witnessing the birth of a new learning science, as it’s happening.
I refer to the short-paragraph technique as “The Hemingway Method,” and I’m convinced that not only the dyslexic patient benefits from this management of fact and argument, but bloggers themselves, and importantly (for the purpose of revenue generation), the general blog readership. There’s a growing body of research which shows that netizens’ attention spans are short, and that’s a trend that won’t go unabated, I’m sure.
At any rate – GREAT article, and smart bloggers will ignore this topic only if readership, linkback, and revenue figures are unimportant.
Thanks,
Steve in L.A.
What a coinkydink! I had just referred to “the gift of dyslexia” in our private correspondence, Steve!
I know that I have a VERY short attention span when reading on the web. I can read the weekend newspaper cover to cover, but I hate reading articles online. Especially long articles. It’s just different.
If I see a LONG webpage, I’m liable to say, forget it, and go elsewhere…
Thanks for your long and thoughtful response, Steve!
Varda
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Great article. Anything that raises awareness of common [5% plus or minus some %] disabilities is a Good Thing. Even teachers are not well-educated in this area & the the kids with these issues who pass through their classrooms suffer for it.
That’s for sure, Dr. Bat. Where I live, if you don’t put your ADHD kid on Ritalin, he can’t go to school. The classrooms are filled with zombie students and teachers who are finding the teaching experience so much easier.
*sigh*
Thanks for reading the article and for taking the time to leave such a valuable comment, my Friend!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Twitter: poojakasar
says:
I usually see blogger show’s more than 10 comments on the post page, which makes page very big and not very easy to scroll. Is there any experience about how many comments to show of on Page Post?
I have never thought about this, but you’re right: it does make the page long and difficult to scroll when there are many comments.
My friends have found it hard to figure out where on this page to leave a comment! That seems to prove your point
Bloggers don’t want to limit comments. The comments represent traffic. The comments help the blogger know how much interest he’s generated.
The main event is the article. The comments are really for the blogger, and not for his audience, unless they choose to read the comments.
So, someone who finds it hard to scroll through the comments doesn’t have to do so. They can read the article and then go to a different page of interest!
That’s easy enough, right?
Best of luck!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Blogging For Those With Dyslexia
Twitter: trattacasa
says:
Excellent article, Varda…You make some very easily adaptable points that we can all benefit from….If people are going to take the time to write/share an artice, a point of view etc, then they should be aware of how to expand their audience and make their writings more tolerable, enjoyable and certainly attainable to as many potential readers as possible…Kudos to you !
Thanks for your kind words, Tammy. And thanks for taking the time to read my article!
Varda
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Stoned On Ritalin
I’ve been wracking my brains trying to figure out how to expand the ellipsis in brackets in your comment but have utterly failed. I’m afraid I can’t make an intelligent reply since I can’t see the rest of what you’ve written
Guess I’m somewhat of a technical failure…
Eek!
epavard´s recent blog post ..CogniBeat Staff wrote a new blog post- Smart People Cant Always Read