Emails sent to students and anyone else must be accessible. Accessible email follows the same rules as accessible documents and webpages: use styles and headings and avoid images without context or alt-text descriptions.
Here are tips from Module 3 for using images in emails:
- Avoid image-only emails. The information won't be accessible for those with visual impairments and often won't be visible to those viewing the email on mobile devices. If you do include a poster or image, provide a text-based equivalent to the information contained in the poster image at the beginning of the email. Or, provide a link to an alternate, accessible version of the email that is hosted on a website.
- Use alt-text with all images.
When appropriate, you may use headings and lists to organize information in an email. Module 3 offers these rules for headings and styles in emails:
- Use the available headings
- Add alt-text to images
- Use formatted lists
- Use descriptive links (information on Descriptive Links)
- Use good color contrast (Color Contrast Checker)
- Avoid using spaces to create visual alignment
The following email clients have accessibility checkers:
- Outlook for Office 365 (drop-down options below the composition window)
- Outlook 2016 for PC (under the Review tab)
- Outlook 2016 for Mac (under the Options tab)