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Thread: Re: Web 508 Accessible Fonts
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From: Jared Smith
Date: Tue, Feb 10 2009 8:45AM
Subject: Re: Web 508 Accessible Fonts
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There is no requirement in Section 508 or WCAG 2 or any other
accessibility guideline I'm aware of regarding font faces. Most every
study I've seen indicates that typography results in negligible
differences as far as reading speed or comprehension, but they do make
a difference in terms of enjoyment and mood. As long as the font face
is appropriate for the content, of a sufficient size and contrast,
easily legible, and not Comic Sans, you're good to go.
Arial and Verdana are both good fonts, though Helvetica might now be a
better alternative. Our site's current CSS lists "Lucida Grande",
Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif.
Jared
From: Emma Duke-Williams
Date: Tue, Feb 10 2009 11:05AM
Subject: Re: Web 508 Accessible Fonts
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2009/2/10 Jared Smith < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >:
As long as the font face
> is appropriate for the content, of a sufficient size and contrast,
> easily legible, and not Comic Sans, you're good to go.
>
Though I've read in a number of locations that Comic Sans can increase
readability for many dyslexic users - though often adults see it as
childish. ( http://www.dyslexic.com/fonts ) - equally, some find that
a serifed font (particularly now screens are so clear) is easier to
read than a sans serif font - but others have the opposite view.
Guess that's where ensuring that it's easy for users to have their
own style sheet (as someone who finds Comic Sans or whatever
definitely preferable will probably have been shown how to override
fonts anyway) is the optimum option - and then just picking fonts that
users are likely to have & generally look reasonable for most users.
--
Emma Duke-Williams:
School of Computing/ Faculty eLearning Co-ordinator, University of
Portsmouth, UK.
Blog: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~duke-wie/blog/