Celebrating Reading on World Book Day 2014

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In celebration of World Book Day 2014 on 6th March, Texthelp Ltd is running a competition to win a copy of its Read&Write Gold literacy support software, which is used by over half a million students in the UK who struggle with reading, have dyslexia or English as a second language. To enter the competition click here.

In its 17th Year, World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of books and reading which is marked in over 100 countries all over the world. The main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. 

Schools will receive packs of Book Tokens; in fact more than 14 million excited children will receive their £1 book vouchers which they can exchange for one of 8 exclusive, new and completely free books. Many of these children will struggle with dyslexia and other reading difficulties and will require some assistance with their reading.

According to the British Dyslexia Association, 1 in 10 children have dyslexia, with more boys affected than girls. Children with dyslexia may have difficulty reading and interpreting meaning and though words are visible, they may ‘swim’ or ‘dance’ on the page.

Mark McCusker, Chair of the British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) and CEO of Texthelp believes that dyslexia does not have to be a barrier to reading and attainment.

Mark comments, “Dyslexia can have a massive impact on children’s attainment but with the right support they can equal and surpass those without a learning disability.”

“Assistive technology with features such as text readers, screen masking, word prediction and scanning can make a huge difference to a child’s school life and give them the confidence and independence to succeed. It is important to try a variety of strategies as something that works for one child may not work for the other.”

Assistive technology can make a big difference to the confidence and independence of the 10 per cent of children with dyslexia in the UK, as well as those with English as a second language.

Read&Write Gold software is an easy to use toolbar which floats above mainstream applications like Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader and Google Docs. The smart toolbar can be customised to provide a host of clever reading, writing and research support tools. Try the software for yourself – click here to download a FREE trial.

For more information about Texthelp visit www.texthelp.com

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