Friday Fragments

"The department had switched to Calibri, a sans-serif font, because sans-serif fonts are easier for screen readers to interpret, and for people with dyslexia or low vision to decipher. In the spirit of the new Darwinism, now consideration for anyone who struggles with deciphering serif fonts is forbidden. If they want to read, they should just ... I don't know, cure themselves or something."

"Admittedly, the story got me thinking about what I would do if I were appointed king of writing for a day. Obviously, use of the Oxford comma would be mandatory. IHE style rejects the Oxford comma, which is frustrating-I just keep using them and letting the editors do what they do. (Elle Cordova did a brilliant bit on the Oxford comma here.) For my money, Arial is underrated."

"Fun fact: The much-maligned Comic Sans font is one of the easiest for people with dyslexia to read. When I learned that, I stopped snarking about it. For that matter, I'm very pro-audiobook, too. It's all about making it easier to communicate. Blogs, tweets/posts/skeets, podcasts-I'm happy with all of them. (Twitter has some unwelcome baggage, but that's independent of the format.) The more venues for communication, the likelier it is that someone can find a format that works for them."

Marco Rubio ordered that official State Department documents use Times New Roman rather than Calibri. The department had adopted Calibri, a sans-serif font, because sans-serif fonts are easier for screen readers to interpret and for people with dyslexia or low vision to decipher. Forbidding consideration of readers with visual or decoding difficulties removes important accessibility accommodations. Mandating serif fonts contrasts with evidence that Comic Sans and other sans-serif options aid dyslexic readers. Stylistic preferences—such as mandatory Oxford commas, favoring Arial, and promoting audiobooks and multiple formats—are proposed to improve comprehension and inclusivity.

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs