Digital Reading Rulers /Guided Reading Strips

Students with dyslexia sometimes need support with tracking print. Skipping words and lines can be an issue that interferes with fluency and comprehension. There are a few forms of assistive technology that can aid with visual tracking and focus. One tool is a reading guide strip. Typically, a colored or transparent strip is placed on a line of text. Some plastic reading rulers have a window that allows students to see one line at a time. Another type of reading ruler is a digital reading ruler. In their study Watson and Wallace (2021) found that students with dyslexia read faster with digital reading rulers. Another study on reading rulers reported improvements in reading speed and comprehension (Niklaus, Cai, Bylinskii, & Wallace (2023)).

Guided Reading Strips are simple tools with transparent colored strips that allow the reader to focus on one line of text at a time. There are several colors to choose from. The gray part covers the other sentences to reduce distraction.

Helperbird's Dyslexia Reading Ruler highlights text onscreen for online documents or webpages, providing a visual bar. It allows the reader to focus on one line of text at a time. Users can change the color and height of the ruler. This is a free feature, but the Helperbird Pro with more advanced reading and writing features costs $30 a year. It can be added as a chrome extension and on IOS devices.

Beeline Reader The goal of Beeline Reader is to make reading on screens easier by using

different colors to help readers maintain focus on one line of text at a time. It guides the

eye from one line to the next using a color gradient. The Beeline Reader may be helpful

for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and those with visual tracking issues. The Beeline Reader is a Google Chrome extension that can be used on PCs and laptops. There is an iOS extension for use on Ipads and Iphones. There is a free version with limited usage. The paid version can costs about

$30 a year.

References

Watson, A., & Wallace, S. (2021). Improving Reading Outcomes Using Digital Reading Rulers for Readers With & Without Dyslexia. Journal of Vision, 21(9), 2650. https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.21.9.2650

Niklaus, Aleena & Cai, Tianyuan & Bylinskii, Zoya & Wallace, Shaun. (2023). Digital Reading Rulers: Evaluating Inclusively Designed Rulers for Readers With Dyslexia and Without. 1-17. 10.1145/3544548.3581367.