Typography

Typography is one of the most direct accessibility controls a designer has. Typeface, size, line height, line length, spacing, and contrast all shape how readable a page is for people with dyslexia, low vision, ADHD, and age-related vision changes. Good typography helps everyone, but for people whose reading is harder it's often the difference between using a page and giving up on it.

The W3C's user story for Stefan, a student with dyslexia and ADHD, describes adjusting font, size, line spacing, and background colour to read comfortably, paired with read-aloud software that highlights words as it speaks. Elias, a retired architect with low vision, relies on browser zoom and text-size controls, and is frustrated when sites don't let text reflow. WCAG's Text Spacing success criterion requires that increasing line height, paragraph spacing, letter spacing, and word spacing within defined limits doesn't cause content to be cut off. It's a practical floor for letting readers adjust the page to suit their eyes.

Set body text at 16px or larger. Use relative units so users can scale. Keep line length comfortable (roughly 45 to 75 characters). Use generous line height. Never disable user font or zoom preferences.