How coloured overlays 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 can include glare, eye strain, headaches, or text appearing blurred, unstable, or difficult to look at for long periods.

 

For some people, placing a coloured overlay over the page can:

• Reduce visual discomfort or glare.

• Make text feel easier to look at.

• Help with reading stamina or tolerance.

 

Who might find overlays useful?

 

Coloured overlays may be helpful for:

• Children or adults who complain of eye strain or headaches when reading.

• People who find high contrast print uncomfortable.

• Readers who say text looks too bright, shimmery, or hard to focus on

• Readers who experience fatigue when reading.

 

 Coloured overlays: what they can (and cannot) do

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

Coloured overlays are best understood as a comfort and accessibility support, not a cure.

 

Alignment with Australian education and inclusion frameworks

The use of coloured overlays as an optional accessibility support aligns with Australia’s inclusive education obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, which require schools to provide reasonable adjustments so students with disability can access learning on the same basis as their peers.

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Providing coloured overlays as a choice-based environmental adjustment supports students who experience text-related visual discomfort, helping to reduce barriers to accessing printed materials. This approach is consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which encourage flexible options for how information is presented to meet diverse sensory and perceptual needs.

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Coloured overlays are not a treatment for dyslexia and do not replace evidence-based literacy instruction. Instead, they may be offered as a low-cost, non-invasive adjustment to improve visual comfort and engagement for a subset of learners, alongside appropriate teaching, intervention, and support.

 

*Please note the colours shown in the picture may not be an exact representation of the colour in real life and can only be used as an estimate.