Accessibility Checklist for Email

Make your emails easy to read and accessible for everyone, including people using screen readers or other assistive technology. For the rationale and examples behind these steps, see Email Accessibility Guidelines.

⚠️ Important: Follow the VCSU Marketing Style Guide.

✅ Fast Review

Quick fixes before you hit Send.

Subject: States the purpose (“Action needed: Submit travel form by Sept 10”).
Body: Include a greeting and a clear purpose line; never send a blank body.
Reference attachments: Mention them in the body (“See attached PDF”).
Text: Simple sans-serif (Arial/Calibri/Verdana) at 12–14 pt; short paragraphs; real bulleted/numbered lists; left-aligned.
Contrast: Ensure sufficient color contrast; don’t rely on color alone.
Images: Add alt text or mark decorative; avoid text-in-images for essential content.
Links: Descriptive link text (not “Click here”); indicate file type/size if useful.
Media: Captions for video or provide a transcript; avoid auto-play and flashing.
Final check: Run Outlook’s Accessibility Checker and resolve issues.

📖 Full Checklist

🧩 View the full best practices list.

✉️ Subject Line

State the purpose clearly (who/what/when/required action).
Avoid blank or vague subjects (e.g., “Important”).

📝 Message Body

Start with a greeting and a purpose sentence.
Put dates, actions, and key info in the body (not only in attachments).
Reference each attachment in text.

🔤 Fonts & Size

Use Arial, Calibri, Verdana, or other sans-serif fonts.
Set body text to at least 12–14 pt; avoid decorative/script fonts.

📖 Layout & Readability

Keep paragraphs short (2–4 sentences).
Use built-in bulleted/numbered lists (not typed dashes/asterisks).
Left-align text; avoid full justification.

🎨 Color & Contrast

Meet contrast ratios: ≥4.5:1 for normal text; ≥3:1 for large (18 pt+) or 14 pt bold.
Do not use color alone to convey meaning; reinforce with text, bold, or symbols.
Tools: WebAIM Contrast Checker.

🖼️ Images

Add concise alt text that conveys purpose (≈120 characters).
Describe destinations for linked images (e.g., “View full report”).
Avoid images of text; if unavoidable, repeat the text in the email body.
Helper: ASU Alt Text Generator.

🔗 Links

Use descriptive link text (“Read the Quarterly Sales Report”).
Indicate file type/size when helpful (“Syllabus (PDF, 2 MB)”).

🎥 Media

Caption all videos or provide transcripts; prefer human-edited captions.
Outlook doesn’t play embedded video—use a screenshot that links to the hosted video.

⚠️ Motion & Symbols

Avoid flashing/blinking content and distracting GIF loops.
Use emojis/symbols sparingly and don’t rely on them to convey essential information.

👤 Signature

Prefer text-only signatures for reliability and dark-mode support.
If a logo is included, ensure appropriate alt text (or mark decorative) and expect that some clients may block it.

📎 Attachments & Filenames

Use clear filenames (e.g., Travel-Form-Sep-2025.pdf).
Reference attachments in the body and consider noting file type/size.

🛠️ Outlook How-To (Quick)

Add Alt Text to Images in Outlook

Right-click the image → View Alt Text… (or Format Picture → Alt Text).
Enter a concise description of the image’s purpose.
If decorative only, leave the description blank (null alt).

Run the Accessibility Checker in Outlook

Go to the Review tab → Check Accessibility.
Resolve flagged issues (missing alt text, contrast, link clarity, etc.).

Link a Video Properly

Insert a still screenshot of the video (no flashing content).
Link the image to the hosted video (YouTube/Stream, etc.).
Add descriptive link text nearby (“Watch the Fall Orientation overview (YouTube, 2:10)”).

⚡ Pre-Send Mini-Checklist (5-Point)

Purpose clear? Subject and first sentence state the goal.
Readable? Font/size OK; short paragraphs; contrast passes.
Images accessible? Alt text or decorative; no critical text only in images.
Links clear? Descriptive text; destinations accurate; attachments referenced.
Checker run? Outlook Accessibility Checker shows no critical issues.

Resources

Contact

Debbie Dramstad
Web Accessibility & Application Specialist
debra.dramstad@vcsu.edu

Last reviewed: September 9, 2025