Presentation
Description
Telos is a publishing house dedicated to literature for children and adolescents, attentive to experimenting with new ways of publishing. The interaction between paper and digital is one of the main points of interest.
Digital activity
Use a font accessible to all, Easyreading. Search for innovative publishing solutions also through the interaction between paper books, digital books, audio content and interactive content. (https://telosedizioni.it/app/)
Good practice targeted
Accessibility
To go further
Good practice
People with dyslexia and with visual impairments. Publication of both paper and digital books with Easyreading fonts
Starting date of the good practice
from 2017
Tools/partners/suppliers of the good practice
Easyreading font
What are the benefits of the project ?
Elio Benvenuti - Telos' collaborator and supporter
What were the constraints faced by the company ?
When Telos was born, three years ago now, the Easyreading font was chosen for several reasons: the first is that it has a scientific basis, scientific studies and research have been made regarding the greater accessibility of this font both for people with dyslexia and for general readers who strain the eye less when reading; Easyreading is based on the “for all” logic, it was designed to be all-encompassing and accessible to all users, not to be special and ghettoizing. The risk of many fonts that arise for dyslexia is to cover only that function and respond to the needs of a specific category of people without taking everyone into account. Easyreading font is for everyone and was born with this in mind, so it allows people with dyslexia not to highlight their situation unless they themselves want it. If I have to show my dyslexia, I want to be able to do it in the way that suits me best, not through the visibility of certain tools. Easyreading removes the “book for dyslexics” brand and allows reading books for everyone. A publishing house that by itself, independently, decides to be born with an accessible font, removes the stereotype of diversity. It is precisely the philosophy behind the Easyreading product that you like!
Which advice would give to another company ?
No particular constraints: Easyreading was born in Turin and is made up of a group of reading accessibility experts. With the knowledge increased over the years, the font was developed and the spread of good practices on accessibility to reading and layout for all began.
What are the next steps?
Go beyond “just for someone” and become “for everyone”.
Other questions or comments
Continue to work towards the elimination of sectoriality. When we think by sectors, we miss out on opportunities. For example, when I was at university in 2004, there was no mention of help or tutoring for students with SLD and I turned to the Italian Blind Union for texts in audio format. Why this sectoriality? An audio file is for a blind person, a person with dyslexia and anyone who wants to listen to a book instead of reading it!