25 June 2025
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Did you know? Coloured rulers and overlays are one of many tools used to help learners with dyslexia or visual stress to improve reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension.
Learners with dyslexia or other conditions such as Irlen's syndrome may struggle to read black text on a white background. They may find that the black text disappears into the background or that the letters move or wriggle around more easily.
Colored overlays and rulers work by filtering out light and reducing contrast, which can help to reduce visual distortions and make the text appear more stable.
Applying a coloured overlay helps the learner to focus on one line of text, reduce visual distractions, and improve concentration, making reading more comfortable and effective. In fact, some studies suggest that learners can achieve up to 30% reading speed!
Our resources to help you and your learners:
Available now in our shop we really like our coloured rulers. Coming in a variety of colours, you can buy a selection which will provide you with a variety to offer the learner, so they can choose which colour suits their needs best.
They’re also multipurpose, so the learner can use them for measuring or underlining!
Ours come in packs of 5 in yellow, sky blue, or sky green. We also offer a multipack of 10, with a mix of colours, if you’re not sure what to go for.
We also really like our coloured overlays. These are A4 sized, ideal for going over textbooks and workbooks, and may be more suitable for learners where co-ordination problems are an issue.
These come in a pack of 10 with a matt and gloss side. You’ll get a random mix of colours that could be aqua, blue, celery, green, grey, jade, magenta, orange, pink, purple and yellow. With so much variety, there’s bound to be one suitable for each of your learners with visual stress issues.
To summarise, coloured rulers are fantastic for guiding the eye along a single line, preventing skipping and helping with tracking. Overlays, on the other hand, provide a larger coloured filter for an entire page, making the whole text less visually overwhelming.
If you or someone you know struggles with reading, then don't underestimate the power of these simple yet transformative tools. All these resources and many more are available to buy in the shop here!
Have you tried them? Share your experiences with us! We’d love to hear from you, and you can get in touch by emailing us shop@dyslexiaaction.org.uk.
