Email Accessibility
Building Inclusive Communication for All
Email is one of the most frequently used communication tools at Elon University, connecting the campus community and external audiences with important updates, events and resources. However, when emails are not designed with accessibility in mind, they can create significant barriers for recipients, particularly those with disabilities. Accessible emails ensure that everyone can read, understand and engage with your message.
These principles apply no matter where you’re composing your email — whether in Outlook, Apple Mail or third-party platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact. By following accessibility best practices, you demonstrate Elon University’s commitment to inclusivity and create effective, impactful communication.
Overview of Email Accessibility
Accessible email design focuses on creating messages that are readable, logically structured and functional across devices and email clients. Key principles include:
- Readable Text and Colors: Use legible font sizes and accessible color combinations that provide sufficient contrast. Avoid excessive or unnecessary color changes.
- Descriptive Content and Alternative Text: Include meaningful text in the body of your email, and add alt text for any embedded images.
- Responsive Design: Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly and adjust seamlessly across different screen sizes and devices.
Common Email Accessibility Challenges at Elon
To improve email accessibility, it’s important to address the challenges we frequently encounter:
- Emails Composed with Only an Image:
Embedding an image with text as the sole content of an email is inaccessible. Screen readers cannot interpret text inside images, leaving users with visual impairments unable to understand your message. Additionally, images may not display correctly due to email client restrictions or poor network connections, leaving recipients with no meaningful content. - Improper Use of Colors:
Emails with poor color contrast — such as light text on a light background — are difficult to read, especially for users with low vision or color blindness. Overuse of color in text, backgrounds or highlights can distract from the message and reduce readability. - Copying Content from Third-Party Tools into Email Clients:
When content is copied from tools like Mailchimp into email clients like Outlook, it often breaks the responsive design, leading to formatting issues such as overlapping text, misaligned elements or poor display on mobile devices.
Requirements for Creating Accessible Emails
- Text-First Approach:
- Always include meaningful, plain text in your email body. Use images to supplement your content — not replace it.
- For event promotions or announcements, include all key details (e.g., date, time, location) as plain text, even if you also use an event flyer or graphic.
- Color Contrast and Simplicity:
- Use colors sparingly and only from accessible palettes. Ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for text and background colors.
- Avoid using colored highlights or overly bright backgrounds or font colors.
- Alt Text for Images:
- Add concise, descriptive alt text for all embedded images to ensure users relying on screen readers can understand their purpose.
- Example: Alt text for an event flyer image might read, “Event flyer for a workshop on digital accessibility, January 15, 3 p.m., Moseley Center.”
- Responsive Design and Testing:
- Use email platforms with built-in responsive templates (e.g., Mailchimp, Constant Contact). Avoid copying and pasting email content directly from these platforms into email clients like Outlook, as this often breaks the design.
- Test your email across devices and platforms to ensure it displays correctly and remains accessible.
Responsibilities & Best Practices for Accessible Emails
Accessible emails are not just a technical requirement — they’re a shared responsibility that ensures Elon University’s communication is inclusive and effective for everyone. As faculty and staff, you play a vital role in creating emails that are clear, readable and accessible to all recipients, including those with disabilities.
Whether you’re sending emails through Outlook, Apple Mail or third-party platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, following these best practices is essential. Every email you send contributes to Elon’s commitment to equity and accessibility.
To support your efforts, the following guides provide detailed information for addressing common accessibility challenges and implementing best practices for email design.
Headings for Structure and Accessibility
Headings are essential for organizing your email content and providing a clear structure that’s easy to navigate. Properly formatted headings help users with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, understand the hierarchy and flow of your email.
Images and Accessibility
Images in emails can enhance your message, but they must be used carefully to avoid accessibility issues. Key considerations include:
- Alt Text: Add concise, descriptive alt text for all images to ensure users relying on screen readers understand their purpose.
- Avoid Text in Images When Possible: Never embed essential text within images, as it cannot be read by screen readers. Instead, include all important information as plain text within the email body.
- Emails Containing Only an Image: Avoid sending emails with only an embedded image (e.g., a flyer or graphic). Always provide the same content in plain text to ensure accessibility.
Color Contrast and Readability
Accessible emails require high contrast between text and background colors. Learn how to select colors that are both visually appealing and WCAG-compliant.
Descriptive Links and Buttons
Links and buttons should be clear and descriptive to ensure all users understand their purpose. Avoid vague phrases like “Click Here.”
Responsive Design and Testing
Responsive design ensures your emails are mobile-friendly and function correctly across devices and email clients. Discover tools and techniques for testing email accessibility.
Accessible PDFs: An Essential Part of Email Accessibility
While it’s common to attach PDF files to emails for sharing detailed information, event flyers or resources, it’s important to remember that not all PDFs are created equal when it comes to accessibility. Many PDFs created using tools like Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign or Canva are inaccessible to users with disabilities, such as those relying on screen readers or keyboard navigation.
Why PDF Accessibility Matters
Inaccessible PDFs can exclude recipients from important information, undermining Elon University’s commitment to inclusivity. Key accessibility issues with PDFs include:
- Unreadable Text: Text embedded as an image (e.g., scanned documents) cannot be interpreted by screen readers.
- Lack of Proper Tags: PDFs without semantic structure (e.g., headings, lists) make navigation impossible for users relying on assistive technologies.
- Incorrect Reading Order: Even if a PDF is tagged, the content must be arranged in a logical reading order. Reading order defines the sequence in which screen readers interpret the content. If the order is incorrect, the PDF may appear jumbled or incoherent to users relying on assistive technologies.
- Missing Alt Text for Images: Images in PDFs without alt text cannot be understood by users with visual impairments.
Expectations for Accessible PDFs
When attaching PDFs to emails:
- Ensure Accessibility: Make sure the PDF meets accessibility standards before attaching it to an email. This includes proper tagging, a logical reading order and descriptive alt text for images.
- Include Essential Information in the Email Body: Never rely on a PDF as the sole source of information. Always include key details (e.g., event dates, locations and descriptions) in the email body to ensure accessibility for all recipients.
- Test Your PDFs: Use tools like Adobe Acrobat’s accessibility checker to verify that your PDF complies with accessibility guidelines, including reading order.
Is a PDF Absolutely Necessary?
Before creating a PDF to attach to an email or link from a webpage, consider whether it’s the best format for delivering your content. PDFs can be useful for preserving formatting or sharing long documents, but they often create unnecessary barriers if the same information could be shared more effectively in an email or on a webpage.
Questions to Ask Before Using a PDF:
- Can the information be included directly in the email or webpage?
- For event announcements, short memos or other concise information, include the details directly in either the email or webpage body instead of attaching a PDF.
- Example: Instead of attaching a flyer for an upcoming event, list the event’s time, date, location and registration link in the email text.
- Would a webpage be more effective?
- For detailed content, such as reports, schedules or resources, a webpage may provide a better user experience. Webpages are more accessible, easier to navigate and searchable by external users.
- Example: Instead of creating a PDF with a multi-step guide, link to a webpage containing the guide.
- Does the PDF contain critical or time-sensitive information?
- If the information is critical (e.g., policies, legal documents) or time-sensitive, ask whether the audience needs a downloadable format. If not, consider embedding the content in the email or linking to an online resource.
- Does the PDF add value beyond what an email or webpage can provide?
- If the PDF simply duplicates email or website content, it may not be necessary. Avoid redundant attachments or links that don’t provide additional value or purpose.
- Does the PDF require regular updates?
- If the content will need updates — whether annually, each semester or even less frequently — a PDF may not be the best choice.
- Why It Matters: PDFs can persist in search engine results, email inboxes or other websites long after updates are made, leading to outdated or incorrect information circulating.
- Solution: Use a webpage for content that requires frequent updates. A webpage ensures that links always point to the most current version, reducing the risk of outdated information.
Creating accessible PDFs is a crucial part of ensuring your communications are inclusive. For detailed guidance on making PDFs accessible, visit our PDF Accessibility Guide.
If you’re not confident in your ability to make a PDF accessible, we recommend using a professional PDF accessibility remediation service. These services can ensure your documents meet compliance standards and are fully accessible.
Start Your Accessibility Journey
Email accessibility is not optional — it’s essential for effective communication and inclusivity. By following the guidelines outlined here and in the sub-topics, you can create emails that are visually appealing, professional and accessible to everyone.
For assistance with email accessibility, contact the Online Communications Team. We’re here to help you craft impactful and accessible messages that reflect Elon University’s values.