preview

The American Foundation For The Blind

Good Essays

Reading is done by a good majority of everyone, most every day. How many words does a person read in one day? That answer differs person to person. One could be a publisher, book critic, reading for a living; or one could be a plumber or carpenter and still do some instructional reading, but much less than the aforementioned occupations. Reading is an essential skill in our daily lives. Blind individuals have Braille script to read, and there also are those that also have technology able read aloud to them. Regardless of how reading is done, it is used by everyone in many ways. There are quite a few factors that can affect how well a person can read. The American Foundation for the Blind says “contrast is one of the most critical factors in enhancing visual functioning, for printed materials as well as in environmental design” (Tips). Contrast being “text should be printed with the best possible contrast, [including] light lettering on a dark background, [or dark lettering on a light background]” (Tips). Different individuals need different types of assistance. An article on the “Frontiers in Psychology” website has dated colored overlays being a useful tool in reading back to 1958 when “the case of a student with a reading deficit was unable to recognize words printed on white paper but was able to recognize words printed on a yellow paper” (Uccula). Roughly 58 years ago the idea of using colors to help individuals with reading was brought to public attention and further

Get Access