{"id":1079,"date":"2024-08-19T17:55:40","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T21:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/?post_type=chapter&p=1079"},"modified":"2025-05-20T13:12:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T17:12:59","slug":"accessible-fonts-2","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/chapter\/accessible-fonts-2\/","title":{"raw":"Accessible Fonts","rendered":"Accessible Fonts"},"content":{"raw":"\"\" Choosing more readable fonts benefits all viewers and readers but can be essential for those with sight or reading impairments. Prefer sans-serif fonts in size 12 or larger for Word documents. The Word Accessibility Assistant tool does not check for accessible font usage. Manually review content for readable font styles and accessible colour combinations to maximize the accessibility of your content.\r\n

Who benefits from accessible fonts<\/h2>\r\nFor people with low-vision or dyslexia, good font choices can make content easier to read. Accessible colour is essential for readers that are colour blind, but good colour practice benefits users printing in black and white, viewing in the sun with screen glare, using custom contrast settings, or experiencing other vision impairments.\r\n\r\nThis animation shows what dyslexia\u00a0may<\/em> look like to some individuals. Accessible font choices can minimize the effect.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2292\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"873\"]\"\" Dyslexia \"simulation\" animation.[\/caption]\r\n

Consult footnote[footnote]<\/p>\r\n\"Dyslexia<\/strong>, previously known as\u00a0word blindness<\/strong>, is a\u00a0learning disability ('learning difficulty' in the UK) that affects either reading or writing.\r\n\r\nDifferent people are affected to different degrees.<\/sup>\u00a0Problems may include difficulties in\u00a0spelling\u00a0words, reading quickly,\u00a0writing words, \"sounding out\" words\u00a0in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads.\u00a0Often these difficulties are first noticed at school.<\/sup>\u00a0The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to\u00a0learn.\"\r\n\r\nDyslexia - Wikipedia<\/a>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe one argument for accessibility that doesn\u2019t get made nearly often enough is how extraordinarily better it makes some people\u2019s lives. How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people\u2019s lives just by doing our job a little better?\u201d<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSteve Krug,\u00a0Don\u2019t Make Me Think, Revisited<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\n[\/footnote] for an unmodified version of this text.\r\n

<\/a>How to fix it<\/h2>\r\nAs the Check Accessibility tool does not examine fonts, manual checks are required.\r\n

Font Size<\/h3>\r\nEnsure body font is minimum size 12. On the\u00a0Home\u00a0<\/strong>tab choose\u00a0Font<\/strong> and\u00a0Font Size<\/strong> using the menus.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nNotes, page numbers, or other header and footer content can be smaller than size 12.\r\n

Font Style<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_700\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"406\"]\"\" Illustration highlighting the ticks on serif fonts.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAvoid overly decorative fonts and exaggerated serifs. Serifs\u2014the small ticks and lines at the end of a character stroke\u2014can bleed together for some readers, making it harder for them to differentiate between characters and read content.\r\n\r\nPrefer sans-serif fonts like Aptos, Calibri, Franklin Gothic, Helvetica, Montserrat, or Verdana.\r\n\r\nWhen desired, use simple serifs like Sitka, Times New Roman, or Cambria.\r\n

Font Colour<\/h3>\r\n\"\"To change font colours, select the text and on the Home<\/strong>\u00a0tab open the\u00a0Font Color<\/strong> menu. Choose your desired colour. Use\u00a0Automatic<\/strong> and the\u00a0High-contrast only<\/strong> toggle to simplify your colour choices.\r\n
<\/div>\r\n

Alignment<\/h3>\r\n\"\"Avoid long blocks of justified alignment. Prefer left-aligned text for languages that read left-to-right. Adjust alignment in the\u00a0Paragraph<\/strong> group of the\u00a0Home<\/strong> tab.\r\n

Plain Language<\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nUse the Editor tool to check\u00a0reading level. Navigate to\u00a0Home > Editor\u00a0<\/strong>and select\u00a0Document Stats<\/strong>. Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 7-9 for general content.\r\n\r\nPlain language helps readers:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Find what they need.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Understand what they find.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Use what they\u2019ve learned.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nConsider your audience and context. Plain language is important in welcome messages, instructions, and announcements. However, learning material like articles, technical documents, or manuals will have significantly lower readability statistics.\r\n\r\nLearn more about\u00a0plain language<\/a>.\r\n

    How to prevent it next time<\/h2>\r\nWord's default paragraph font (Aptos 12) is an accessible, readable choice.\r\n\r\nIf you want to customize Word styles<\/a> ensure you follow the accessible font best practices<\/a> in the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning.\r\n
    \r\n

    Next<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

    \r\n\r\nMove to the next page to learn about Accessible<\/strong>\u202fLists<\/strong>\u00a0or select the next error you want to fix<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

    \"\" Choosing more readable fonts benefits all viewers and readers but can be essential for those with sight or reading impairments. Prefer sans-serif fonts in size 12 or larger for Word documents. The Word Accessibility Assistant tool does not check for accessible font usage. Manually review content for readable font styles and accessible colour combinations to maximize the accessibility of your content.<\/p>\n

    Who benefits from accessible fonts<\/h2>\n

    For people with low-vision or dyslexia, good font choices can make content easier to read. Accessible colour is essential for readers that are colour blind, but good colour practice benefits users printing in black and white, viewing in the sun with screen glare, using custom contrast settings, or experiencing other vision impairments.<\/p>\n

    This animation shows what dyslexia\u00a0may<\/em> look like to some individuals. Accessible font choices can minimize the effect.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Dyslexia “simulation” animation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Consult footnote[1]<\/sup><\/a> for an unmodified version of this text.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>How to fix it<\/h2>\n

    As the Check Accessibility tool does not examine fonts, manual checks are required.<\/p>\n

    Font Size<\/h3>\n

    Ensure body font is minimum size 12. On the\u00a0Home\u00a0<\/strong>tab choose\u00a0Font<\/strong> and\u00a0Font Size<\/strong> using the menus.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Notes, page numbers, or other header and footer content can be smaller than size 12.<\/p>\n

    Font Style<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    Illustration highlighting the ticks on serif fonts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Avoid overly decorative fonts and exaggerated serifs. Serifs\u2014the small ticks and lines at the end of a character stroke\u2014can bleed together for some readers, making it harder for them to differentiate between characters and read content.<\/p>\n

    Prefer sans-serif fonts like Aptos, Calibri, Franklin Gothic, Helvetica, Montserrat, or Verdana.<\/p>\n

    When desired, use simple serifs like Sitka, Times New Roman, or Cambria.<\/p>\n

    Font Colour<\/h3>\n

    \"\"To change font colours, select the text and on the Home<\/strong>\u00a0tab open the\u00a0Font Color<\/strong> menu. Choose your desired colour. Use\u00a0Automatic<\/strong> and the\u00a0High-contrast only<\/strong> toggle to simplify your colour choices.<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Alignment<\/h3>\n

    \"\"Avoid long blocks of justified alignment. Prefer left-aligned text for languages that read left-to-right. Adjust alignment in the\u00a0Paragraph<\/strong> group of the\u00a0Home<\/strong> tab.<\/p>\n

    Plain Language<\/h3>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Use the Editor tool to check\u00a0reading level. Navigate to\u00a0Home > Editor\u00a0<\/strong>and select\u00a0Document Stats<\/strong>. Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 7-9 for general content.<\/p>\n

    Plain language helps readers:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Find what they need.<\/li>\n
    2. Understand what they find.<\/li>\n
    3. Use what they\u2019ve learned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Consider your audience and context. Plain language is important in welcome messages, instructions, and announcements. However, learning material like articles, technical documents, or manuals will have significantly lower readability statistics.<\/p>\n

      Learn more about\u00a0plain language<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      How to prevent it next time<\/h2>\n

      Word’s default paragraph font (Aptos 12) is an accessible, readable choice.<\/p>\n

      If you want to customize Word styles<\/a> ensure you follow the accessible font best practices<\/a> in the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning.<\/p>\n

      \n
      \n

      Next<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

      \n

      Move to the next page to learn about Accessible<\/strong>\u202fLists<\/strong>\u00a0or select the next error you want to fix<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      1. <\/p>\r\n\"Dyslexia<\/strong>, previously known as\u00a0word blindness<\/strong>, is a\u00a0learning disability ('learning difficulty' in the UK) that affects either reading or writing.\r\n\r\nDifferent people are affected to different degrees.<\/sup>\u00a0Problems may include difficulties in\u00a0spelling\u00a0words, reading quickly,\u00a0writing words, \"sounding out\" words\u00a0in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads.\u00a0Often these difficulties are first noticed at school.<\/sup>\u00a0The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to\u00a0learn.\"\r\n\r\nDyslexia - Wikipedia<\/a>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe one argument for accessibility that doesn\u2019t get made nearly often enough is how extraordinarily better it makes some people\u2019s lives. How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people\u2019s lives just by doing our job a little better?\u201d<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSteve Krug,\u00a0Don\u2019t Make Me Think, Revisited<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\n ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1655,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1079","chapter","type-chapter","status-web-only","hentry"],"part":52,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1655"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3224,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1079\/revisions\/3224"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/52"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1079\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a11yondemand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}