KEY is short for 'keyboard'. DYS is the abbreviation of 'dyslexia', with dysorthography it creates difficulties in writing and coding a text for those who have this different neuro functioning.
In Italy a total of about 2 million people with this condition is estimated (one per class, according to estimates by AID Italy). For them and millions of dyslexics around the world, today a 16-year-old French boy called Ryan Dubois invented a special computer keyboard. I bet you already know his story, or does it sound familiar? At the age when other kids play, he transformed the garage (!) into a computer lab and launched a startup, Appl... no, sorry. Is called RD2Tooldys. Oh well, he could spend more time on the naming.
Ryann, little genius
Ryann Dubois lives in Etables-Sur-Mer in Brittany and is currently in her 1st year at STI2D (Industrial Science and Technology). His genius doesn't surprise me: among his dyslexic "colleagues" there are people like John Lennon, Winston Churchill and a certain Albert Einstein, I don't know if you know. Well, Ryann did not live his condition cheerfully, school always created a bit of difficulty for him. Taking advantage of the first lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, he developed a special keyboard with colored keys to help other students with his own problems.
Several nice things have happened since then: a French brand (Boulanger) has started marketing its invention, and several academies across the country (Paris, Nice, Créteil and others) have already bought many specimens. They go away like hotcakes: a crazy and unexpected success. Evidently, however, inevitable. Like all winning ideas.
What is the KEYDYS keyboard for dyslexic students?
Small premise: if you are dyslexic and you are reading, don't spoil the others: they don't know how it works, ok?
First of all, know that dyslexic students cannot write at the same speed as their peers: for this reason, they generally use a computer to take notes in class. Something not yet accepted by everyone, or for which not all schools (yes, we are in 2022) are not well equipped. The result? Kids with this condition accumulate delays, are put in trouble, and everything in between.
Ryann sought the cooperation of a therapist, who introduced him to a method of marking with colors to improve his typing. That's where the light bulb went on: why leave such a tool only to therapists? Let's extend it to everyone. The boy fumbled with colorful keyboards and labels, and eventually KEYDYS came out.
Why did he make a bang?
Columbus' egg, I would say. And so we had to think about it. Ryann thought about this, dividing the keyboard into eight colored diagonal sections to help the brains of dyslexic students identify groups of letters more quickly. Boom. Ryann went from color labels to the patent office in just a few days.
And now we have a happy little genius, whom on June 26 last he thanked left and right:
Thank you for your precious testimonies. After a year of work, they have the recognition of occupational therapists, the Ministry of National Education and Youth, Mr. Emmanuel Macron. I still can not believe it. Nice day.
Ryann, June 26, 2022 on his Facebook profile
Before anyone asks me where to find it: as mentioned, the French company Boulanger is marketing it at a rather low price, 24 euros, and schools and institutions also place many group orders. If you need it (and they'll send it to you) you can find it here, or you can get inspired (Ryann, forgive me) to create a DIY solution at home.
