Ever tried studying a web page the place the letters dance like tipsy ballerinas, flipping and twisting till your mind begs for mercy? For Christian Boer, a Dutch designer with dyslexia, that was day by day life—till he turned the tables and created the Dyslexie font, a typeface that tames these wild letters for simpler studying. On the Dyslexia Explored podcast, host Darius Namdaran chats with Christian about his 17-year journey from struggling artwork pupil to international dyslexia game-changer. It’s a story of frustration, ingenuity, and a reminder: the proper instruments can unlock any mind’s potential—particularly when mother and father step up to wield them.
The Dyslexia Wrestle Was Actual
Christian’s college days have been a battleground. At six, he’d dodge studying aloud with excuses like “I’m drained,” whereas academics branded him lazy, shelling out punishments as an alternative of assist. “I’d learn two traces, and so they’d say, ‘Okay, cease,’” he recollects. English as a second language? Torture—too gradual for subtitles, he realized it from motion pictures as an alternative. Center college locked him out of upper tracks as a result of language abilities lagged, regardless of his knack for ideas. Sound acquainted, mother and father? That child doodling in school may not be slacking—they may very well be wrestling a mind wired otherwise.
A Font Born from Necessity
Quick-forward to artwork college, 2008. A 200-page English textual content in Instances New Roman practically broke him—two pages, a nap, repeat. “It was a horror story,” Christian laughs. His resolution? Dyslexie font, designed to cease letters from mirroring or mixing. Longer ascenders on “h,” greater openings on “e”—each tweak got here from his personal studying errors, examined on fellow dyslexics. It’s not only a font; it’s a lifeline, proving that adapting the world to a toddler’s mind beats forcing them right into a mould they’ll by no means match.
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“I’d learn two pages and go to sleep for 20 minutes—it was a horror story.” — Christian Boer
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Progress Mindset in Motion
Christian’s story is Progress Mindset on steroids. He didn’t settle for “I can’t learn” as his destiny—he hacked it. From bribing English academics with cookies to dodge talking checks, to crafting a font that’s now a worldwide device, he flipped deficits into wins. “I’m good at problem-solving due to dyslexia,” he says. Mother and father, take be aware: your child’s quirks aren’t flaws—they’re uncooked materials. Problem their brains with the best assist, and watch neuroplasticity work its magic. Caught isn’t everlasting; it’s only a beginning line.
Key Takeaways:
Dyslexie font tweaks letters to chop studying errors for dyslexics.
Christian’s Progress Mindset turned struggles into a worldwide resolution.
Early instruments (not ready) unlock a toddler’s potential.
Past Fonts: A Broader Imaginative and prescient
Dyslexie isn’t the one trick up Christian’s sleeve. He’s pushed for sans-serif fonts (assume Comedian Sans, however deliberate), greater sizes (16-point, please), and tweaks like line spacing and background tints to ease visible stress. He’s even roped AI into the combo—assume varieties that auto-fill or textual content learn at triple velocity in a crisp AI voice. His Week of Dyslexia within the Netherlands spotlights strengths, not simply struggles. It’s a wake-up name: dyslexia’s greater than studying woes—it’s a lens on the world, and children have to comprehend it.
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“I’m good at problem-solving due to dyslexia… I see myself as fairly self-aware.” — Christian Boer
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Kicking the Villain to the Curb
