{"id":4027,"date":"2024-06-28T13:50:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T17:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningally.org\/?p=4027"},"modified":"2024-06-28T13:50:31","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T17:50:31","slug":"dyslexia-does-font-really-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningally.org\/resource\/dyslexia-does-font-really-matter","title":{"rendered":"Dyslexia – Does Font Really Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Varda Meyers Epstein <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wouldn’t it be great if switching fonts was all you had to do to conquer your reading difficulty? Imagine that for a moment: you toggle a magic switch (or dropdown font menu in WORD) and poof! You can read like the best of ’em. Well um, no. Unfortunately, this is not and probably will never be the case, despite the creation of self-proclaimed dyslexia-friendly fonts such as Lexia Readable<\/a>, Open-Dyslexic<\/a>, and Dyslexia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pic\"What is true is that some fonts make it even more difficult to read text (for everyone) and by the same token, others make it easier to read text (for everyone). And anything that makes it easier to read text is going to be appreciated by those who struggle to make sense of letters and words. That, in and of itself, is a good goal: making reading easier. (Note: Dyslexia is not a visual problem, but some fonts do wreak havoc for even very smooth readers.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to multiple surveys and studies, the most readable fonts tend to be the fonts that are known as sans serif or “without serif.” The word “serif” is French and signifies the little tail attached to the end of a stroke in writing some letters. Many of us don’t notice these little add-on flourishes, but they can make it difficult for struggling readers to know where letters and words start and end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any font that is “sans serif” is therefore, already a cut above when choosing the ideal font for readability. Some refer to sans serif fonts as “Grotesque” or “Gothic” and serif fonts as “Roman.” Examples of sans serif fonts include Helvetica, Courier, Arial, Calibri,\u00a0Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, CenturyGothic, and <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comic Sans. Of these fonts, Comic Sans is judged t\"pic2\"o be the most readable. Unfortunately, Comic Sans doesn’t look very\u00a0professional\u2014in fact, it was invented to be used in comic strips. Lexia Readable was meant to address this problem of professionalism: it has the good readability of Comic Sans but doesn’t look quite so, well, comic. A good font alternative for business or academic purposes is Trebuchet MS. Graphic designers have taken note of the fact that, according to some estimates, one in four people has a reading difficulty. In response to this concern, the\u00a0British Dyslexia Association\u00a0<\/a>(BDA) compiled some data on the subject of readable fonts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BDA found that readers with dyslexia prefer:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n