The Bible Society has finished producing the Bible in a dyslexia-friendly format.
Beginning in 2015 with the publication of the book of Psalms and the Gospel of Mark, the resources were designed to enable those with the learning disorder to engage with Scripture ‘comfortably and confidently’. Now, following the publication of Deuteronomy and Joshua, all 66 books have been finished, and the project is complete.
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects reading and spelling ability, and can impact processing speed, concentration and memory. Six million people – 10% of the UK population – are thought to be dyslexic, with 4% being severely affected.
Bible Society publishing director Derek Hill hopes these resources will help make the Bible available and accessible to everyone. ‘We’ve willingly committed resources to this project because we know it will benefit many people who find reading the Bible really difficult.’ He added: ‘Now they’ll be able to discover its treasures for themselves. This is a really significant achievement and we’re delighted to have reached this milestone.’
The Bible Society resources were developed following the formatting guidelines of the British Dyslexia Association. These books differ from other Bibles by being laid out like novels, having large, sans-serif type and more space between the lines, as well as being printed on cream-coloured paper, rather than bright white, which has a matte finish to limit reflection and high opacity so that text from the next page won’t show through.
Claire Natt, who has dyslexia, commented: ‘There are less complicated words so I can understand it more. I like that it’s not just one Bible, it’s multiple books … it’s made such a difference to my faith.’
Each book is available to buy separately, or as part of a set. Visit www.biblesociety.org.uk for more information.
How to support a church friend facing disability
Last month, I wrote about supporting through the onset of disability; I wanted to continue that theme for a while. …