Television is a beloved form of entertainment that transport us to new worlds and shape contemporary pop culture. In recent years, international content in foreign languages has grown in popularity. To fully experience the emotions conveyed in these shows, it is essential to watch them in their original language with subtitles.
However, for people with dyslexia, reading subtitles can be a challenge. They may require additional time to read and process each word, making it difficult to fully grasp the meaning of the dialogue before the subtitles disappear. This means that dyslexic viewers often have to settle for dubbed versions of shows, missing out on the nuances of the original performances.
To address this issue, CANAL+ collaborated with the ad agency BETC Paris and NGO Puissance Dys, which was founded in 1992 to support dyslexic individuals. Together, they developed DYSTITLES: a new type of subtitles that are adapted for both dyslexic and non-dyslexic viewers.
The font used in DYSTITLES was developed by Beatrice Sauvegeot, a speech therapist and neuropsychologist who has been working with dyslexic individuals for over ten years. The font was designed specifically to mimic the way that dyslexic individuals perceive letters, allowing them to read subtitles without having to decipher each word letter by letter. The font is also readable by non-dyslexic after a short adjustment period.
By addressing the needs of dyslexic viewers, CANAL+ is promoting inclusivity and raising awareness of the challenges that people with dyslexia face when watching shows with subtitles. DYSTITLES will soon be available on the myCANAL platform as an option in the audio settings for multiple languages and subtitles, and will be included in the entire catalogue of shows on all devices.