By: Tiffany Wincek, Product Liaison

We’re excited to share that the Sora student reading app recently introduced two educator-favorite features! Students can now view both individual ebooks AND Sora’s entire interface in both dyslexic font and high contrast modes.

Dyslexic fonts are popular because they can help alleviate some symptoms of dyslexia, like the turning and swapping of letters. Though not intended as a cure for dyslexia, students may find that dyslexic fonts improve readability.

High contrast modes, which adhere to a specific contrast ratio, make colors easier to distinguish. This can improve readability and app navigation for those with low vision or colorblindness.

It can also be beneficial for those who experience the loss of contrast sensitivity that typically accompanies aging, which means high contrast modes can help readers of all ages.

To enable either or both options, head to Sora’s main menu and select General settings. You’ll find these settings under Display:

If you prefer to keep Sora’s standard interface but would like the flexibility to enable dyslexic font or high contrast for a specific title (maybe while tutoring a student over Zoom, for example), just head to the Reading Settings menu after you open the title:

As a reminder, Sora offers additional customization settings so students can adjust titles to meet their needs. These include a variety of fonts, text sizes, lighting options, spacing, justification, audiobook narration speed and more. With just a few clicks, you and your students can update Sora to best meet your needs.

Happy reading!

About the Author:

Tiffany Wincek, the Product Liaison for OverDrive Education, taught in New York public schools for 10 years prior to joining Team OverDrive. She holds degrees in English, education, and literacy and loves making authentic connections with and providing solutions for OverDrive partners. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, lifting heavy things, and listening to nothing but Nothing But Thieves.