Vision on Reading
I wonder if there is a school subject which
causes more discussions and arguments among the politicians and academic elite
of this country than "Reading".
I also wonder if there is a skill which allows more active and passive
discrimination of people than "Reading" does.
I can read and understand literature and
signage in more than one language so I am hardly illiterate. Although I know people who have dyslexia I am
not one of them.
So why do I feel discriminated against when
it comes to one of my favourite hobbies?
I am seriously shortsighted - to the point
of being Registered Partially Sighted! Being brought up to work around and hide
my difficulties means that I don't look that much different from the rest of the
population (no White Stick, Magnifying Glasses, etc) apart from the glasses on
my nose. This is unless you put me in a
situation where I am forced to read what I would call "small print"
or any other kind of reading material which my eyes cannot really cope with. This is where life gets interesting - both
for me and for anybody else who has to deal with me as a result.
If I had my way all books and newspapers
would be printed two font sizes bigger.
Times New Roman 12 point is too small for me to read comfortably.
I also suffer from something called
"Photophobia". This means my
eyes don't like bright lights - which makes any kind of PowerPoint presentation
involving a white background torture for me to look at for a long period. The white background shrinks the size of the font. However, I am always amazed by the attitude
of some people when I ask for a printed handout so I can follow the
proceedings. According to most people I
have eyes in my head and glasses on my nose so I should be able to read the
same as everyone else. I wish I could.
There is another thing which people don't
realise. Colour plays a big part in
reading as well. Red writing hurts my
eyes when I try to read it. (There are certain
other colours which have a slightly less painful effect too.) Not everyone can read writing in all colours of
the rainbow (just think of the colourblind).
There is one final thing which can make
reading difficult - after considering your font size and colour (font and
background) - how much information am I supposed to get from the page? More to the point - how much of the information
is immediately relevant to what I intend to do next? There is no point in having a magazine with
its price buried in a corner in a font which I need a microscope to read - especially
when you have "sold" me the magazine by advertising your main feature
in print large enough to be read by passing aircraft.
When it comes to reading (unless it is for
pleasure) I want to be able to see, read, and comprehend what I am reading in
the same amount of time as a literate person with normal sight and in the same
way as them if possible.
With a little consideration EVERYBODY can
enjoy reading without being made to feel like an outsider just because of their
sight.
The views expressed in essays and reviews on everybodysreading.blogspot.com are those of their respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everybody's Reading or its associated organisations.
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