JADH2016@Tokyo, Japan | September 13 Xinru ZHU Characteristics of Japanese TIVTIJOKP!VUPLZPBDKQ Graduate School of Education for Dyslexic Readers The University of Tokyo

Background Aim • Developmental dyslexia is a specifc learning disability • It is not easy to design a Japanese for dyslexic readers that is neurobiological in origin, characterised by diffculties which fts everyone and completely manually. with accurate and/or fuent word recognition. • This research aims to develop: • 3–5% of the population in Japan have dyslexia. (i) a specially designed Japanese typeface, and • It is essential to provide them with assistive environments. (ii) a typeface customisation system • While it is held that typefaces have impacts on dyslexic for dyslexic readers, by using Python libraries and scripts for readers, Japanese typefaces for dyslexic readers do not exist. manipulation.

Framework of 1. Characteristics of Lain typefaces for dyslexic readers the research Apex Axis Ascender Ascender Dyslexie Cap Height X-height Cap Height X-height X-height OpenDyslexic TAyogrphscHStem Bowl Width 1. Lexie Readable Baseline Baseline

Extracting Descender Descender (a) Larger letters in the same size, Width characteristics of Measured and/or compared Width (b) Larger height/width ratios, Latin typefaces the elements of typefaces: (c) Standard x-heights, for dyslexic 1. Sizes of (d) Rounded sans-serif typefaces, readers 2. PANOSE values 3. Direct comparison Hx A A (e) Bolder strokes, Hx (f) Contrast in stroke weight, Arial (g) Similar letters made distinguishable by Calibri (i) Larger counters, Verdana EE EE Trebuchet (ii) Slanted or rotated to opposite directions, 2. Comic Sans (iii) Changed shapes slightly, Defning Sassoon Primary AbdpqA b dpq (iv) Replaced by other letterforms. desiderata for Japanese typefaces 2. Desiderata for Japanese typefaces for dyslexic readers

うろこ 1. Symptoms of dyslexia in alphabet-using languages are 字高 similar to those in Japanese.

͍͋͏౦੢ふところ 2. Recognition processes of 字幅 phonograms (alphabet and 3. kana) are similar. Designing a Elements of Latin typefaces Elements of Japanese typefaces Japanese Cap Height 字高 (jiko) (a) Larger characters in the same size, typeface (b) Larger height/width ratios, for dyslexic Width 字幅 (jihaba) readers (c) Rounded san-serif (maru gothic) typefaces, Stroke 画線 (kakusen) (d) Bolder strokes, (e) Contrast in stroke weight, Weight 線幅 (senhaba) (f) Similar characters made distinguishable by Next steps Contrast 線幅の配分 (—no-haibun) (i) Larger counters (futokoro), (ii) Slanted or rotated to opposite directions, ふところ Counter (futokoro) (iii) Changed shapes slightly, 4. Serif うろこ (uroko) (iv) Replaced by another forms of the character. Conducting experiments with dyslexic readers 3. Prototype of a Japanese typeface for dyslexic readers

• Modifed from: Rounded M+ 2p Applied • Manipulation applied: Python - (a): by scripts あいうえお scripts あいうえお - (b): by scripts to glyphs inside - (c): by font selection RoboFont 5. - (f)(ii): by scripts かきくけこ かきくけこ Developing a - (f)(iii): manually typeface • Manipulation to be applied: サシスセソ customisation - (d): by scripts or manually サシスセソ system - (e): by scripts or manually - (f)(i): by scripts or manually Manually ワ雨白赤青 - (f)(iv): manually ワ雨白赤青 adjusted