# Dyslexia and Colour Blindness Friendly Style Guide

**Readable fonts**

- Use sans serif fonts, such as Arial as letters can appear less crowded. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri, Open Sans.
* Font size should be 12-14 point or equivalent (e.g. 1-1.2em / 16-19 px). Some dyslexic readers may request a larger font.
- Larger inter-letter / character spacing (sometimes called tracking) improves readability, ideally around 35% of the average letter width. If letter spacing is excessive it can reduce readability.
* Inter-word spacing should be at least 3.5 times the inter-letter spacing.
- Larger line spacing improves readability and should be proportional to inter-word spacing; 1.5/150% is preferable.
* Avoid underlining and italics as this can make the text appear to run together and cause crowding. Use bold for emphasis.
- Avoid text in uppercase/capital letters and small caps, which can be less familiar to the reader and harder to read.

**Headings and structure**

Use headings and styles to create consistent structure to help people navigate through your content. In Word, you’ll find these tools in the ‘Home’ tab:

**Headings**

- Use a font size that is at least 20% larger than the normal text. If further emphasis is required, then use bold.
* Use formatting tools for text alignment, justification, indents, lists, line and paragraph spacing to support assistive technology users. In Word, you’ll find these tools in the ‘Layout’ tab:
- Add extra space around headings and between paragraphs.
* Ensure hyperlinks look different from headings and normal text

**Colour**

**Colour blindness and web design
<a href="https://www.usability.gov/get-involved/blog/2010/02/color-blindness.html" target="_blank">info here</a>**
- Use single colour backgrounds. Avoid background patterns or pictures and distracting surrounds.
* Use sufficient contrast levels between background and text.
- Use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background.
* Avoid green and red/pink, as these colours are difficult for those who have colour vision deficiencies (colour blindness).
-  Consider alternatives to white backgrounds for paper, computer and visual aids such as whiteboards. White can appear too dazzling. Use cream or a soft pastel colour. Some dyslexic people will have their own colour preference.
* When printing, use matt paper rather than gloss. Paper should be thick enough to prevent the other side showing through.

[![](https://rebeltoolkit.extinctionrebellion.uk/uploads/images/gallery/2023-02/scaled-1680-/image-1677361485367.png)](https://rebeltoolkit.extinctionrebellion.uk/uploads/images/gallery/2023-02/image-1677361485367.png)

**Layout**

- Left align text, without justification.
* Avoid multiple columns (as used in newspapers).
- Lines should not be too long: 60 to 70 characters.
* Use white space to remove clutter near text and group related content.
- Break up the text with regular section headings in long documents and include a table of contents.

**Writing Style**

- Use active rather than passive voice.
* Be concise; avoid using long, dense paragraphs.
- Use short, simple sentences in a direct style.
* Use images to support text. Flow charts are ideal for explaining procedures. Pictograms and graphics can help to locate and support information in the text.
- Consider using bullet points and numbering rather than continuous prose.
* Give instructions clearly.
- Avoid double negatives.
* Avoid abbreviations where possible; always provide the expanded form when first used.
- Provide a glossary of abbreviations and jargon.