Named after Braille Institute founder, J. Robert Atkinson, Atkinson Hyperlegible font is great for low vision readers. 

In contrast to traditional typography design, it emphasizes letterform distinction in order to increase character recognition, thus improving readability.  Anyone with low vision is welcome to use it for free!

What is low vision?

It is a loss of vision that cannot be treated with medical or surgical treatments or with conventional eyeglasses or contact lenses. Low vision is a condition that makes doing everyday tasks difficult. People with low vision must learn to adapt to their condition and can be helped with a variety of low vision devices and tools.

What makes Atkinson hyperlegible font so unique

There are times when it may be difficult for people with low vision to distinguish letters and numbers while reading. The Atkinson Hyperlegible font offers a variety of design techniques to differentiate commonly misinterpreted letters and numbers.

• Recognizable footprints: Character boundaries are clearly defined, making understanding possible across the visual-ability spectrum
• Differentiated letterforms: Letter pairs are differentiated from one another to dramatically increase legibility
• Unambiguous characters: Designed to improve readability and distinguishability
• Exaggerated forms: Letter shapes are exaggerated to improve clarity
• Opened counterspace: Some of the open areas on certain letters are enlarged to provide more distinction
• Angled spurs and differentiated tails: enhance recognition and define distinct style
• Circular details: Links to the history of Braille Institute and braille dots

Characteristics of Atkinson hyperlegible font

• Four fonts, including two weights (regular, bold, italics, italics bold)
• 1,340 total glyphs across all fonts, 335 per font
• Accent characters supporting 27 languages
• For designers and anyone interested in making written materials easier to read across the entire visual-ability spectrum
• Improve legibility and readability for low vision readers

Downloading and installing it

Click here to download the Atkinson hyperlegible font for free

Instructions for installing the font

Download the .zip file linked above. Extract the file to reveal additional folders inside. Find the Open Type Format (.otf) files for the four Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts (regular, italic, bold, bold italic) inside the “Print Fonts” folder. *Note that only the Open Type files are needed to install the font on a computer. There are five additional font formats in the “Web Fonts” folder for use on the web.

On Windows 10: Double-click the font file, then click the “Install” button in the font preview window that opens. The font will be installed. Alternatively, right-click on the file and choose “Install” from the pop-up menu that appears.

On Mac: Double-click the font file in the Finder, then click “Install Font” in the font preview window that opens. After your Mac validates the font and opens the Font Book app, the font is installed and available for use.

Schedule a low vision evaluation at Amplify EyeCare of Greater Long Beach

At Amplify EyeCare of Greater Long Beach we offer advanced low vision optometric eyecare. Our low vision optometrist spends time with each patient to understand their visual capabilities and what goals they have for improving their vision. After a full evaluation our low vision optometrist will help guide the patient through the various options available such as handheld and wearable devices that provide additional magnification, color contrast, and field of view. Furthermore our low vision optometrist will guide the patient on the resources available through different organizations and tools that can help them in their activities of daily living. Call our office at (562) 925-6591 to schedule a low vision evaluation.