Lifelong readers may not understand how some people with dyslexia have such difficulties reading. For me, reading is like breathing. I do it early and often and even always have subtitles on when I watch television. However, those with dyslexia have a real struggle and thanks to a new typography book, everyone can explore what it is like to be dyslexic.
“Being dyslexic, one thing always stood out,” Sam Barclay explains in his Kickstarter video. “The available help was always aimed at making me read better. Very little effort was made to help the people around me understand what it feels like to struggle with reading.”
Barclay set out to create a book that would reveal to people what it is like to experience dyslexia but in a beautiful and intriguing (yet informative!) way. He ended up creating the typography book, “I Wonder What It Feels Like To Be Dyslexic,” a design-led journey into the struggle of dyslexia that celebrates the spaces for alternative understanding along the way.
“Manipulating language through the use of typography has always appealed to me,” Barclay writes in his statement. “What interests me, is the challenges of generating an outcome that questions the users experience in the most exciting way.”
In his book, he uses letters and design to make words tricky and difficult to read. It all together frustrating yet interesting. The Huffington Post described the book as revealing “the space between words and meaning where new interpretations of language are possible.”
“People that have difficulty reading are often capable of thinking in ways that others aren’t,” Barclay explains. “Encouraging those with reading difficulties… to excel in ways that make sense to them is not just important, it’s crucial.”
Unfortunately, the book needs help being funded. Barclay is attempting to raise approximately $23,000 on Kickstarter by November 28. Take a look at Barclay’s book below and see how you can help move his project forward on Kickstarter.
Check out some of the pictures from the book below:
