With thousands of fonts to choose from, selecting a font with accessibility in mind is no easy task. Several fonts have been developed specifically to address the needs of individuals with reading-related disabilities such as dyslexia.听Examples include , , , and .
Research studies on whether particular fonts have an effect on reading speed and comprehension report听mixed听results. Adrian Roselli's article , originally published in 2015 and subsequently updated multiple times with new information, reviewed many of these studies听and offers the following general tips that听are "generally agreed upon by the community":
- Avoid justified text.
- Use generous line spacing (leading).
- Use generous letter spacing (tracking).
- Avoid italics.
- Generally use sans serif faces.
- Use larger text.
- Use good contrast.
- Use clear, concise writing.
The organization Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) offers similar guidance on choosing an accessible font in their article听, which was published in 2013:
- Use real text rather than text within graphics.
- Select basic, simple, easily-readable fonts.
- Use a limited number of fonts.
- Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and the background.
- Avoid small font sizes.
- Use relative units for font size.
- Limit the use of font variations such as听bold,听italics, and ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
- Don't rely only on the appearance of the font (color, shape, font variation, placement, etc.) to convey meaning.
- Avoid blinking or moving text.