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.
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 can follow your mouse cursor as you move down the page, or you can set it to stay in one place. 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.
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.
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.
Step 4: Open Dyslexia Support
Click on Dyslexia support to open it.
A panel will appear with two tabs at the top: Tools and Settings.
Make sure the Tools tab is selected. This is where you will find the Reading Guide toggle.
Step 5: Turn on Reading Guide
In the Tools tab, look for Reading guide.
Click the toggle switch next to it to turn it on. The toggle will turn green when it is enabled.
A solid colored bar will appear on the screen to guide your reading.
Step 6: Customize the Guide
To adjust how the reading guide looks and behaves, click on the Settings tab at the top of the panel.
Here you can change the size, color, and position of the guide.
Guide Settings
In the Settings tab, you can customize 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.
Width – Control how far the guide extends across the screen.
Color – Choose a color for the guide. Pick a color that stands out against the website background.
Brightness – Make the guide more or less transparent. A solid guide is easier to see, while a transparent guide lets you see the text underneath.
Follow Cursor – When turned on, the guide moves with your mouse cursor. When turned off, the guide stays in one place.
Position – When Follow Cursor is off, you can set exactly where the guide appears on the screen.
Tip: Turn on Follow Cursor and choose a bright color like yellow or orange. This makes the guide easy to see and it will automatically move 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.
