Experienced teacher Joan Brennan was concerned when she saw some of her students struggling with reading. Wanting to help them focus on the texts they were trying to read so that they would comprehend them better, she invented the Reading Focus Card.

The Reading Focus Card allows students with disabilities such as dyslexia or ADD/ADHD to easily read text by viewing it one line at a time. This way, they won’t be distracted or confused by endless lines of text. The card works to promote differentiated instruction by providing students with a different avenue to process and comprehend content and ideas. Another feature of the Card is that it comes in a variety of colors ranging from light pastels to brighter tones. This is effective for students because oftentimes, the white background of normal texts can be visually offensive. The Card creates a new background color for the text that may be easier to focus on for troubled readers.

Read an interview with Brennan where she discusses her invention here.