As someone with a print disability that impacts the ability to read standard print and a visual impairment/neurological condition that impacts the ability to read certain text layouts, I have spent a lot of time thinking about accessible fonts and my favorite free fonts for print disabilities. I primarily access text content using strategies like large print, simplified reading displays, increased line spacing, and single column layouts to make text easier to read, but I’ve noticed there are definitely fonts that are easier for me to read with low vision than others.
Here is a list of my favorite free fonts for print disabilities and low vision that can be used to create accessible materials for audiences with visual impairments like my own.
What’s better for low vision: serif font or sans-serif font?
A serif is a line or stroke that is attached to the end of a letter. Serif typefaces like Times New Roman and Cambria incorporate serifs, while sans-serif typefaces do not. For people with low vision, serifs may appear fuzzy or blurry and have an impact on letter recognition, making text written in a serif typeface more challenging to read. Sans-serif fonts are generally recommended for digital content, however some people with visual impairments may prefer serif fonts for reading— this is where having options to customize fonts for reading applications can be helpful.
In general, sans-serif fonts are recommended for accessible text because they can be read easily across a variety of letter sizes. I personally find sans-serif fonts easier to read with double vision, because the double image of serif fonts tends to blend together and make it challenging to identify individual words or letters.
For people who use braille or screen readers to access text, font size and font styles generally do not matter as the text is read out loud/encoded in braille. However, it is important that text is structured with headings and proofread for errors.
Related links
- Two of Everything: Living With Double Vision
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Emoji Accessibility and Low Vision
Arial
Arial is a sans-serif typeface that features a clean, simple design with consistent letterforms and spacing, making it a popular choice for print disabilities and low vision. Arial is easy to read and enlarge, and is a popular choice for creating accessible educational materials for students with print disabilities— I receive all handouts for class materials in Arial font based on a recommendation from my low vision specialist and teacher of the visually impaired (TVI/TSVI). On the Veroniiiica website, Arial is used for all headings, the navbar, and body text.
A near-identical alternative to the Arial font available through Google Fonts is Arimo. Arial Black is another alternative that incorporates bolder lines compared to the standard Arial font, though the heavier weight may be challenging to read for some readers with print disabilities.
Related links
- How To Come Up With Sample Accommodations
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials From My Low Vision IEP
- How To Use Hover Text For iPad With Low Vision
- How I Access PowerPoints with Microsoft Sway
- How To Improve Your Blog Theme For Visually Impaired Users
Helvetica
Helvetica is visually similar to Arial, though Helvetica is more rectangular in appearance and is more commonly used for printed materials— Arial is more commonly used for digital materials and is rounder. I can still read both fonts, but I spend more time reading Arial because I use a lot of digital reading tools to access text.
One way I really like to use Helvetica is when reading on an inverted display or using high contrast mode. One example of how I use Helvetica is when reading from a teleprompter application, which is helpful for displaying super large font sizes without making the edges of text blurry.
Related links
- Ways To Use Teleprompter Apps As Assistive Technology
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- iPhone Accessibility Settings For Occipital Stroke
- Amazon Kindle App and Low Vision Accessibility
Verdana
Verdana has wider spacing between letters and large, open characters, making it a great option for reading large amounts of text. Students with visual impairments that don’t use large print may prefer Verdana because it is easy to read even with smaller font sizes, and the letters are not super close together. Like Helvetica and Arial, Verdana comes pre-installed on many operating systems and devices.
Related links
- How To Create Accessible PowerPoints
- Creating Accessible Bulletin Boards For College Dorms
- Learning to Self-Advocate
Bebas Neue
Bebas Neue is designed for attention-grabbing headlines and short text, and I use it for the Veroniiiica logo and for post graphics. I often use it for presentations because of the clean lines and because all of the letters are the same size, but it doesn’t work well for body text or large amounts of text because it uses all capital letters— there are no lowercase letters when writing with Bebas Neue.
Bebas Neue is not pre-installed on computers, but it is available for download and can be used with graphic design applications like Canva. If inserting an image of Bebas Neue font (or any font) into a presentation, make sure to add alt text that shows a transcript of the text so that it can be recognized by screen readers— no need to specify the font, just make sure a transcript of the text is included.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- Designing Business Cards For Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Classroom Posters For Students With Visual Impairments
- Adapting Accessible Trifold Posters For Low Vision
Calibri and Aptos
When using Microsoft 365 applications, the default fonts are Calibri (pre-2023) and Aptos (2023 to present). Aptos incorporates some of the readability features of Helvetica and Arial, and shows punctuation marks and diacritics with round dots instead of square dots.
I find Calibri easier to read on my computer’s OneNote application, so I changed the default font to Calibri by following these instructions:
To change the default font and text size in Excel and OneNote:
- Open Excel or OneNote, or open the File menu in an existing document
- In the left sidebar, select Options
- For Excel, select Accessibility and change the default font size in the drop-down menu
- For OneNote, select General and use the drop-down menus to change the default font, text size, and font color
- Select OK
To change the default font and text size in Word:
- Open a new or existing Word document
- Select the font call-out menu (Ctrl + D)
- Choose the default font style, size, color, and weight from the drop-down menus
- Select Set as Default to use this font by default when creating a new document
Related links
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
APHont
Looking for a font designed with low vision access in mind? The American Printinghouse for the Blind offers the free APHont sans serif typeface as part of their large print guidelines page. There are longer tails on the letters Q, G, J, and Y, and it is designed to be used with several different font sizes or weights. It can be downloaded from the APH website linked below.
Related links
- APHont and Large Print Guidelines (APH.org)
- Reading Bookshare Titles With Microsoft Word
- Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day 2024
Comic Sans and OpenDyslexic
Comic Sans and OpenDyslexic offer weighted bottoms and different letterforms for individual letters, which can make it easier to identify individual letters since they do not look super similar. OpenDyslexic has a heavier weighted bottom than Comic Sans, and some users with low vision have reported that it is easier for them to read and identify letters or words written with OpenDyslexic— I often encounter the font in reading applications like simplified reading displays or in accessibility settings for eReading applications. Others may prefer the lighter weight of Comic Sans, especially when reading eBooks.
I do not personally use OpenDyslexic because I find it challenging to read with double vision, but I have worked with many students with low vision who were surprised how much it helped them with reading.
Related links
- OpenDyslexic website
- Google Reader Mode and Low Vision
- Mainstream eReader Apps and Low Vision Accessibility
- Reading Chegg eTextbooks With Low Vision
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- Accessible Classroom Library Ideas For Print Disabilities
For cursive: Lavanderia
In full transparency, cursive and script fonts are generally inaccessible and unreadable for people with print disabilities and should be avoided whenever possible. However, there may be situations where a cursive or script font is required, like when teaching a student how to sign their name, and using a bold calligraphy-style font like Lavanderia is the best option for ensuring readability and aiding in letter recognition.
Related links
- Dysgraphia Accommodations In The Classroom
- How I Use Technology To Improve Handwriting
- Reading Handwriting With Assistive Technology
- How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes
- Digital Rulers For Dysgraphia and Low Vision
- How To Create Dorm Door Signs and Decorations For Low Vision
Best fonts for low vision/Best fonts for print disabilities
- Sans-serif fonts are generally easier to read for people with low vision than serif fonts
- Arial
- Helvetica
- Verdana
- Bebas Neue (for headings)
- Calibri
- Aptos
- APHont
- Comic Sans
- OpenDyslexic
- Lavanderia (for teaching cursive/script)
More resources on my favorite free fonts for print disabilities
- Want to learn even more about accessible text? Check out A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Wondering if emoji are accessible for visual impairment? Check out Emoji Accessibility and Low Vision and How To Make Accessible ASCII Art and Emoji Memes
- Creating accessible materials for low vision is more than just choosing a font— check out Paper Colors And Low Vision and Paper Sizes and Low Vision Accessibility
- If my handwriting was a font, it would be one that is very hard to read due to dysgraphia. Learn more about another component of my print disability at Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
Published August 8, 2018. Updated February 2025