Helperbird

Built by a dyslexic programmer to make the lives of other people with this condition a lot easier, Helperbird is a dyslexia-focused, accessibility tool that allows users to customize their web browsing and reading experience.

More to the point, Helperbird is a Google Chrome extension that allows users to change the fonts, background color, font colors, text, and other similar elements of most websites they are visiting.

For starters, it’s worth noting that it can be installed just like most Chrome extensions from the Chrome Web Store, that it’s COPPA and FERPA compliant, and that it is also compatible with the latest Chrome Books.

The extension also boasts cloud capabilities which means that it can automatically sync all the settings across a wide range of browsers and devices.

One of the best features of Helperbird is the fact that it allows users to effortlessly change the fonts of websites they are visiting. They can choose from Arial, Comic Sans, Tahoma, Verdana, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, and OpenDyslexic.

Another praiseworthy aspect is just how easy it is to use. Users can also change the ruler settings. For instance, they can choose the height (in pixels), as well as the position and the color of the ruler. As mentioned before, users are also provided with the option of changing the font color. They can also change the background and tint colors (useful in the case of scotopic sensitivity syndrome).

From the extension’s GUI, users can enable or disable the Text to Speech engine, a very useful feature, especially for visually impaired users. Last but not least, there’s the Blacklist option. With its help, users can effortlessly disable the extension from running on specific websites of their choosing.

Helperbird is a very useful and smartly designed tool that will most definitely make the browsing life of any user suffering from dyslexia or is even remotely visually impaired a lot easier. It’s very easy to use, has the ability to synchronize settings on multiple devices, and is very efficient thanks to a useful set of straightforward customization options.