By David Kavanagh | posted on January 31, 2020
A BOARD game designed to help people with dyslexia develop their literacy skills will be launched at Albany Public Library next Thursday.
Kanga Words is the brainchild of Albany retiree Don Titterton, who spent almost a decade developing it with the assistance of more than a dozen others.
The 75-year-old has lived with dyslexia his entire life and said he wanted to create a fun “educational tool” fine-tuned to suit individuals with learning difficulties.
“I was 35 when I first learned to read and write properly,” Mr Titterton said.
“This game is about the repetition. If kids with dyslexia play it once or twice a week, they can benefit greatly.”
Kanga Words somewhat resembles Scrabble in design and tasks players with making various words for points.
Words that contain other words within them, such as the word “phone” containing “hone” and “one”, are allocated additional points.
Mr Titterton, who regularly travels across Australia in his caravan, said the game had now been played by more than 200 people.
“I’ve tried it on strangers, I’ve tried it on rellies and friends and everybody loves playing it,” he said.
“While it’s great for people with dyslexia, it’s also useful for school kids in general and people in nursing homes who might need a mind stimulant.
“My long term goal is to travel around Australia going from library to library and running demos.”
Kanga Words will be showcased at the library from 5.30 – 7pm on February 6. Book by calling 6820 3600 or emailing [email protected]
