How to Use the Reading Guide on Any Website

Learn how to use Helperbird's use the reading guide. Complete guide for improving web accessibility and reading support.

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  • features
  • reading

What is the Reading Guide?

The Reading Guide is a solid colored bar that appears on screen to show you exactly where you are reading. It acts like a ruler that you would place under a line of text in a book.

The guide follows your mouse cursor as you move down the page. This helps you keep track of which line you are on.


Who is This For?

This feature is helpful for:

  • People with dyslexia who skip lines while reading
  • Anyone who loses their place on the page
  • People with visual tracking difficulties
  • Students reading long documents
  • Anyone who finds a visual guide helpful when reading

Step 1: Open Helperbird

Click the Helperbird icon in your browser toolbar. It looks like a small owl and is usually in the top-right corner of your browser.

This will open the Helperbird menu.

The Helperbird popup with Helperbird switched on, showing the quick actions grid and the All Features button


Step 2: Open the All Features Section

Scroll down to the bottom of the Helperbird menu. You will see a section called All Features.

Click the arrow next to All Features to expand it and show all available features.

The All Features list in the Helperbird popup, showing every feature in alphabetical order


Step 3: Find Dyslexia Support

Look through the list of features until you see Dyslexia support.

It has a purple icon with a brain symbol on it.

The All Features list scrolled to show the Dyslexia support row and its Open button


Step 4: Open Dyslexia Support

Click on Dyslexia support to open it.

A panel will appear with three toggles: Dyslexia ruler, Focus ruler, and Reading guide. Below the toggles, under a divider, is a Settings section.

The Dyslexia support panel open in the Helperbird popup, showing the Reading guide control


Step 5: Turn on Reading Guide

At the top of the panel, look for Reading guide.

Click the toggle switch next to it to turn it on.

A solid colored bar will appear on the screen to guide your reading.

The Reading guide toggle switched on in the Helperbird popup


Step 6: Customize the Guide

To adjust how the reading guide looks, scroll down to the Settings section below the divider in the same panel.

Here you can change the height and color of the guide.

The Reading guide options shown after the toggle is switched on


Guide Settings

When the Reading guide is turned on, the Settings section shows the following:

  • Height - Adjust how tall the guide bar is. A thinner bar points to a specific line, while a thicker bar is easier to see.

  • Color - Choose a color for the guide. Pick a color that stands out against the website background.

Other settings in this section, such as Width, Follow, and Position, apply to the Dyslexia ruler rather than the Reading guide.

Tip: Choose a bright color like yellow or orange. This makes the guide easy to see, and it will automatically follow your cursor as you read down the page.


Video Tutorial


Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please contact the Helperbird support team. You can reach us at Helperbird support. We are happy to help you get the most out of Helperbird.

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Thank you!! Love the tint feature.

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I love Helperbird!!! It's very user friendly from someone who has learning challenges because of ADHD and Dyslexia.There are so many useful features and new updates.

Entertainment Studio

Entertainment Studio

Helperbird user

This chrome extension is absolutely amazing. I'm a Primary school teacher and it helps children with a broad range of needs. It's so easy to set up. I love the way it syncs across devices so set up is seamless across all the children's computers. The customizable features are a game changer for allowing children to enjoy reading and accessing the web in our school. The best application I have ever seen for school children. Looking forward to trying the iPad application soon.

Luke Mccarthy

Luke Mccarthy

Teacher

You can bookmark the websites or pages for future reading. Font Sizes can be increased or decreased to our own satisfaction. You can translate the page or website using Google Translator.

Noopur A.

Noopur A.

Director Product

I found this extension on a whim to help myself. Suffering with post concussion syndrome symptoms and working remotely is really hard! This extension basically saved my job. It gave me back productivity and the ability to read the screen. This extension has so many neat features I never even knew I needed. I love this and you will too! You don't need to be dyslexic or have dyslexia for this extension to benefit you. Do yourself a giant favor and get it! I highly recommend it!

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Catherine Contillo

Helperbird user

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