ReadAssist

Sheila Byrne from Malahide, Co. Dublin began cutting up cereal boxes when her daughter Jenny showed signs of difficulty reading when she started school 15 years ago.

But when she lost her job two years ago, she used her redundancy money and a start-up grant from Fingal Enterprise Board, and has now launched the ReadAssist.

What looks like nothing more than a six-inch ruler gives people with dyslexia the chance to focus just on the line of text they are trying to read, which can be a difficulty for those with the condition that affects an estimated 80,000 Irish people.

ReadAssist is the size of a 6" ruler. The beauty of it is that it will fit into the student's pencil case. It comes in three parts. The student just clicks the parts into place. There is also a pouch for ReadAssist. This is in order to keep it clean and safe in the student's pencil case.

There are four colours of acetates to choose from. These are the primary colours that are used by people with dyslexia, eliminating the effects of glare on the page. School books, newpapers, magazines etc. are printed black on white. People with certain reading difficulties have a problem with focusing on words printed black on white. Each student will have a preference to one of these colours. They can then put it into ReadAssist.

The grey frame around ReadAssist enables the student to focus ONLY on the line he/she is reading from. Some may feel they may only need to use the frame, without the acetate.

The cost of the ReadAssist for the month of October is EUR24.95 + EUR5 post & packaging. Cheques must be made payable to ReadRuler Enterprises Limited. Special offer as October is Dyslexia Month Worldwide. After October, the cost will be EUR29.95 + EUR5 post & packaging.

For more information, please visit http://www.readassist.ie/

Sarah Ann McGrath