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Accessible Fonts

sjeffcoat's picture

I did some reading on what fonts and font colors are the most accessible for dyslexic people. Overall, sans-serif fonts seem to be preferred over serif fonts, with larger font sizes, line spacing, and inter-letter spacing preferred (some specific measurements outlined in this Dyslexia style guide). Avoid underlined and italicized words, but bolded text is acceptable for emphasis. Darker text on a solid colored, light but not bright white background increases readability. Be careful with greens, reds, and pinks for individuals with color blindness. Matte backgrounds are preferred over glossy ones. Try to avoid having multiple columns, and utilize headings frequently instead of having large blocks of text. Decreasing the contrast between the text and the background appears to be helpful for dyslexic people, but I imagine that it could be harder for visually impaired people. I think that in terms of doable accomodations, we could definitely try to make sure our font sizes and spacing are larger.