Helping those with dyslexia

The latest technology will be used to help people in Sunderland with dyslexia to overcome the challenges they face with accessing and using online services and information.

The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Lynda Scanlan, will visit Sunderland Library Museum and Winter Gardens tomorrow from 2.30pm to 4pm to help launch a partnership project with Sunderland Libraries Services and local voluntary group Social Inclusion and Dyslexia Project (SID).

The aim of the project is both to raise awareness of how dyslexia affects the daily lives of one in every 25 people in this country, and of the help and support available in the city through this new partnership project.

The launch will help Sunderland City Council’s dyslexia-friendly Libraries Services to demonstrate how to use available assistive technology, to help computer users use their keyboard and screens to convert text to speech.

The council’s cabinet member for Communities and Culture, Councillor John Kelly said: “We have listened to our voluntary sector partners at SID and identified the barriers preventing people with dyslexia from accessing information in their daily life.

“In response Libraries Services and ICT services have installed software on to all public access computers to help people navigate and fully access services.

“Raising the awareness of our staff to be able to demonstrate the software and be able to support the individual challenges people may face, will enable customers to have a better experience and build their self -confidence.”