px vs em vs rem

Hi, all,

I recently watched a web accessibility video on Lynda.com that sparked a conversation about which units of measurement in CSS create a more accessible page for people with disabilities, such as visually impaired users.

What the tutorial taught was that fixed layout is the least accessible versus fluid layout which is the most accessible. But it didn't cite any sources, nor specify if that pertained to font-size, margin, padding, width, etc. And I'm having a hard time finding anything other than opinions online that specifically refer to this. Are px, ems, or rems really any better than one or the other when it comes to accessibility? Or have browser and assistive technology updates changed drastically enough that this isn't really an issue?

I'm still breaking into web development, so any suggestions or references for best practice would be much appreciated. Thank you!


Amy Carney
Publications Specialist II
Alaska State Libraries, Archives, and Museums
907.465.1313
amy.carney@alaska.gov<mailto:amy.carney@alaska.gov>