Set of 3 Purple Duo Window Reading Rulers

 

Coloured Reading Rulers Make print clearer. Reduce glare. Support comfortable reading. Coloured Reading Rulers are a simple, portable accessibility support designed to help children and adults who experience text-related visual discomfort when reading. They are intended to improve reading comfort, not to act as a reading intervention. Some people notice blurred or uncomfortable text when they are tired, reading for long periods, or working with high-contrast print. For some children and adults, changing the colour through which text is viewed can help soften black print and reduce visual discomfort.

• PRICE: Just $15 per set of 3 reading rulers

 

Please note the colour shown in the picture may not be an exact representation of the colour in real life.

 

Research by Apple and Microsoft has also informed the inclusion of colour-adjustment tools in accessibility features such as iPads, iPhones, and Microsoft Immersive Reader, reinforcing their role as an environmental adjustment, not a treatment

 

How coloured reading rulers may help

Some children and adults experience text-related visual discomfort when viewing high-contrast, repetitive patterns, such as black text on a white background. This may include:

• Glare or visual fatigue.
• Eye strain or headaches
• Text appearing blurred, unstable, or difficult to focus on

Using a coloured reading ruler can:

• Reduce visual discomfort or glare.
• Make text feel easier to look at.
• Support reading stamina and sustained attention.

 

About the Coloured Reading Ruler

Each Reading Ruler is a 2.5-inch-deep transparent plastic strip with:

• Tinted transparent edges for tracking text.
• An opaque central area that allows the reader to view text through their chosen colour while following the line of print

There are two viewing windows:

• A narrow window, suited to early or developing readers who benefit from a more confined focus.
• A wider window, allowing more text to be seen and supporting scanning ahead while reading.

The aim is to read from the tracking line down, supporting smoother visual tracking.

Because reading rulers fit easily into a pocket, pencil case, or book (where they can also act as a bookmark), they are often preferred by students who wish to avoid the visibility of a full-page overlay.

 

Who might find reading rulers useful?

Coloured reading rulers may be helpful for:

• Children or adults who experience eye strain or headaches when reading.
• Readers who find high-contrast print uncomfortable.
• People who report text looks too bright, shimmery, or hard to focus on
• Individuals who experience fatigue during sustained reading

 

 How reading rulers are commonly used

• In schools: kept in classrooms or shared resource areas so students can independently choose a colour when needed.
• At home: used for homework or leisure reading.
• In the workplace: to support adults who read for long periods or experience visual discomfort.
• By educators: as a simple trial tool to see whether colour adjustment improves reading comfort.

 

 

Alignment with Australian inclusion and reasonable-adjustment requirements

Providing coloured reading rulers as an optional classroom resource is consistent with schools’ obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, which require reasonable adjustments to enable students with disability to access learning on the same basis as their peers. Reading rulers may be offered as a low-cost, non-invasive environmental adjustment to support students who experience text-related visual discomfort when reading high-contrast print. They are not a treatment for dyslexia and do not replace evidence-based literacy instruction but may assist some students to access printed materials more comfortably within an inclusive learning environment.

Important information about dyslexia

Dyslexia is a lifelong difference in how the brain processes written language. It cannot be cured, and coloured reading rulers do not treat dyslexia or change core reading skills such as decoding, spelling, or phonics.

Reading rulers are best understood as a comfort and access support, not a cure.