Outlook Toolkit Making your Outlook email accessible

Best practices for accessible email

Accessible email means your content is available to all users with limited barriers, regardless of the method or technology they use to access it. The good news is following these guidelines will make your content easier to read and understand.

Using the Accessibility Assistant

Quick tips

Using plain language

Best practices

  • Acronyms

    The first time an acronym is used, all words should be written out, followed by the acronym in parentheses. Subsequent instances can use only the acronym.

    For example:

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990.  The ADA was created to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities.

     

    Related to: WCAG SC 3.1.4 Abbreviations

    Back to top

  • Understandable content and language

    Verify clear content and language and terms are explained or linked to definitions or additional information.

    Best Practices

    • Compose content at a 7th or 8th grade level, using clear language and short sentences. 
    • If the email is long, consider a summary at the top, above the details
    • Use bulleted or numbered lists for key points, questions, etc.

    Back to top

Easy to read text format

Best practices

  • Bold, italic, and underlined text

    Bold and italic formats can be helpful to emphasize or highlight terms or text.  Unfortunately over-use of these formats can detract from the meaning and even significantly slow reading speed up to 70 percent.

    Important: Screen readers do not indicate bold or Italic text.

    Best practices:

    • Bold is the preferred method of emphasis
    • Italic can be used for very short sections
    • Underlined text should be only be used for links, such as linking to UTMB's digital accessibility page

     

     

    Back to top

  • Text alignment

    Text alignment can affect reading speed and comprehension

    • Centered text can be helpful or visually pleasing and a way to organize a page.  Unfortunately, long sections of centered text significantly slow reading speed.
    • Block or justified text was originally used in newspapers to make the columns visually appealing.  This is achieved by randomly adding spaces between words to that the last character of a word ends each column.  Because the spacing is different for each sentence this significantly slows reading speed and can cause delayed comprehension

    Best practices:

    • Center short sections of text, primarily use for headings and new sections
    • Avoid block or justified text

     

     

    Back to top

Best practices

  • Acronyms

    The first time an acronym is used, all words should be written out, followed by the acronym in parentheses. Subsequent instances can use only the acronym.

    For example:

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990.  The ADA was created to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities.

     

    Related to: WCAG SC 3.1.4 Abbreviations

    Back to top

  • Understandable content and language

    Verify clear content and language and terms are explained or linked to definitions or additional information.

    Best Practices

    • Compose content at a 7th or 8th grade level, using clear language and short sentences. 
    • If the email is long, consider a summary at the top, above the details
    • Use bulleted or numbered lists for key points, questions, etc.

    Back to top

Images have alternate text

Best practices

  • All images have alternative text

    Images should have alternate text added.

    Writing a good image description

    Describe the image like you would to a person who wasn't in the room with you, so they know what is happening int he image.

    The image description should be less than 140 characters.  If the image is complex or needs more of a description, add a caption to the image.

    Infographic for a meeting

    Graphic containing title and presenter details, with icons indicating sign language interpretation and CC will be provided

    Basic verification

    Run the application's accessibility checker.  If the application doesn't have an accessibility checker (or wizard, etc.) Manually verify that each image has a description.

    Run the Microsoft Accessibility checker


    Verify all images have alternative (alt) text and don't contain text (best) or contain the identical as in the alt text.

    Writing effective alt text

    Add alt text to an images in:

    Back to top

Clear contrast between colors

Best practices

  • Meaning isn't indicated by color alone

    Color can't be the only way to indicate the meaning of an item.

    Example 1

    Hyperlinks (links) that are only indicated by a change in text color

    Solutions:

    • Hyperlinks should be underlined
    • Use a pattern in the color (such as stripes, or dots) so the meaning can be identified by texture

    Example 2

    Using green to indicate good, yellow to indicate warning, and red to indicate an error.  A person with colorblindness or low vision will need additional formatting to distinguish between them.

    Solutions:

    • Use a label for each area in addition to the color
    • Use a pattern in the color (such as stripes, or dots) so the meaning can be identified by texture

    Back to top

  • Text color

    Changing text from black to another color can be helpful to emphasize or highlight terms or text.  However, a significant percent of the population is colorblind and could miss the intended meaning.  For that reason color cannot be the only method of indicating meaning.

    Best practices:

    • Bold is the preferred method of emphasis
    • A color can be added for additional styling

     

     

    Back to top

  • Color contrast

    Changing text from black to another color can be helpful to emphasize or highlight terms or text.  However, a significant percent of the population is colorblind and could miss the intended meaning.  For that reason color cannot be the only method of indicating meaning.

    Best practices:

    • Bold is the preferred method of emphasis
    • A color can be added for additional styling

     

     

    Back to top

Related Topics