What do you mean by low-vision? What medical conditions or environmental conditions are you trying to overcome? Is this for signage, advertising, a book?

Cheers, Si

I'm not an expert, but I think low vision refers to people who are not legally blind, but have difficulty discriminating fine details, like text. I would also be interested to include in this discussion which typefaces may be accessible to people as they reach their older years—baby boomers, etc— who reach for their magnifying glasses each time they sit down to read something.

Poppl Laudatio is very readable for people with impaired vision (I should know -- I'm one prescription away from being legally blind without my glasses), even at sizes as small as 10 pt.

wouldn't size be the critical element here? Moreso than the specific face?

speaking of bigger type, Penguin books is redoing their paperbacks in bigger sizes:

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/ZNYT01/5081...

The Lighthouse of Chicago is using our ClearviewADA for a number of things, and they say they are very happy with it. ClearviewADA is not yet on our site. It is a family of 20 fonts that conforms to the stroke width to height ratio, and glyph width to height ratio of typefaces as mandated by the Americans with Disabilty Act legislation.

Where can I see an example of ClearviewADA? Also, can you tell me where I can get a copy of the guidelines from the Americans with Disability Act that you mentioned?

You can get info on ADA on the Department of Labor web site, or you can go to SEGD and buy their white paper for $20. (I recommend the white paper)

http://www.segd.org/resources/publications.html

As to ClearviewADA samples, send me a private e-mail, and I'll send you a pdf sample

Specifically we are talking about elderly people and the partially blind. We are also concerned with people that have learning disabilities, have dyslexia, or may be new to the Rnglish language or roman alphabet. The project is a traveling exhibition - so it would be signage and large format graphic panels.

-r

Just a note - the SEGD paper is from 1992 - I emailed them today asking if there was an update. They responded saying the fed's have released new recommendations, but have not signed them into law. So, perhaps ADA is more "current".

Sadly, there hasn't been a lot of good research into which typefaces and sizes are best for low vision. However, the research that does exist suggests that type size and text design choices are more critical than the typeface choice. Considering issues of colour contrast, line length, leading, and —because this is an exhibition— placement of text in the environment will make a larger difference to a reader than choosing Plantin over Minion.

Granted, one should use a reasonable typeface for the job. Here the research that is available suggests choosing a typeface that is well spaced and on the slightly heavier side. The ADA and SEGD guidelines can help here to weed out typefaces that are too light. Doing some informal user testing will also help, especially when choosing a type-size and colour combinations.

There aren't a lot of good studies to recommend on this subject: I've looked at a lot of the research (I can give you my bibliography if you're interested) and have concluded that a lot more research needs to be done, especially research geared to giving good guidelines to working designers.

I can suggest reading Alison Shaw's Print for partial sight. It is getting dated, but it is the best study of typeface and type size for low vision. This isn't to say that it is perfect, but it is the most comprehensive study to date. You could also look at the research of the Minnesota Laboratory for Low-Vision Research. It's some of the best work being done currently, but it is aimed at optometrists. Lastly, Zoe L. Strickler has done some interesting research (published in Visible Language) in designing interactive systems for older adults and low vision. Though it is about interaction design, it does say a lot about design in general for low vision and older adults.

Hope that helps, and isn't too much.

References
Shaw, A. (1969). Print for partial sight: a report to the Library Association Sub-Committee on Books for Readers with Defective Sight. London, Library Association.

Strickler, Z., & Neafsey, P. J. (2002) Visual design of interactive software for older adults: Preventing drug interactions in older adults. Visible Language. 36(1), 4-28.

I think "low-vision" and visual acuity of aging adults (ouch!) are issues that can be clearly (ouch again) addressed with research and studies related to type sizes and letterform, as you are involved with.

I believe your mention of learning disabilities (inclusive of dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and visual processing disorder) involves a completely different area of research not fully dependent on character recognition itself.

By no means do I understand the issues related to such disorders, but one of my business partners is heavily involved with Edvocacy.org, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to establishing a national early recognition program for children with dyslexia. (Visit the link and take the little decoding test to give you a sense of what dyslexic readers go through.)

My wife also happens to work for The Landmark School which is one of the best known private educational facilities for children with reading and learning disorders. Of what I know of their mission is that they are training the students to decode and reprocess information encountered in their daily lives.

Through my wife, I have recently contacted Landmark to see if I could participate in or contribute to the school's art program (all of their teachers are required to have Masters in Special Education). I have been toying with the idea of letterform collages, innovative calligraphy and found object alphabets (inspired by both Nick Shinn and Clotilde Olyff). In that way it would just be the joy of shapes and recognized individual forms as art, and not for reading comprehension.

So many ideas, so little time... (at least another 50 years I hope).

Depending on your tolerance for idiosyncracy, you might have a look at my font Freight Micro. Although it's primarily meant for the screen (Jeffrey Zeldman has quipped that it stays crispy in milk), it's an indirect by-product of the fact that early-onset low vision runs in my family.

Placement, type sizes, lighting, distances, are all variables that need as much attention as typeface choice in an exhibit design. I assume the type is used at display sizes?

Since the lighting in a traveling exhibit is an uncontrolled variable, you'll need to ensure contrast between type and background. Choose colors for both with plenty of contrast.

Terry B. recommended to me the fine book "Wayfinding: People, Signs and Architecture", which deals with more general issues of clear wayfinding. Those ideas are useful in an exhibit context, I think.

You may find useful some information here http://www.tiresias.org/index.htm

This site is for professionals who work in the field of visual disabilities and for all people who have an interest in solving the problems faced by people with disabilities. Guidelines on accessibility issues for all types of disabilities are also on this site.

There is also a specially designed family of fonts.

Richard

There definitely is very little information regarding what you're looking for. So far all have made good recommendations. As Carl pointed out, the Wayfinding book is about the only hard copy I've ever gotten my hands on that seriously focuses on clear type for environments.

Roger, if you haven't already make sure you contact James about Clearview ADA, I've had the opportunity to see it and so far James has been one of the few people I've known who has put the time in to really address type for people with low-vision. This has been a subject I've been heavily involved in attempting to solve as well. Good luck!