"The State Department has reversed a Biden-era font change that aimed to make its paperwork more accessible to readers with disabilities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed diplomats around the world to switch from Calibri to Times New Roman 14-point font in all official documents, starting on Wednesday, the State Department said in a statement to NPR. The difference between the two fonts comes down to a few finishing strokes."
"Calibri is a sans serif font, meaning it doesn't have the decorative tops and tails at the ends of letters that serif fonts like Times New Roman do. Those little flourishes can make the lettering harder to read, says Kristen Shinohara, who leads the Center for Accessibility and Inclusion Research at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "This impact can be more severe for people with learning or reading disabilities like dyslexia or for people with low vision," she told NPR's Morning Edition."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to replace Calibri with Times New Roman 14-point in all official State Department documents, reversing a 2023 change. Times New Roman served as the Department's official font from 2004 until 2023. The Department said consistent formatting strengthens credibility and a unified identity. Sans-serif fonts like Calibri lack decorative serifs, and those flourishes can make lettering harder to read for people with dyslexia or low vision. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires sans-serif fonts on signage and screens for legibility. Serif fonts remain common in print and legal formats. The Department did not answer questions about reduced accessibility.
Read at www.npr.org
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