Email accessibility

All images in an email need alternative text, also called “alt” text. Alt text is used by assistive technologies to convey information about an image to viewers and recipients.  

Effective alt text should: 

• Describe the image and explain its relevance to the surrounding email or webpage content 
• Be one or two sentences and fewer than 250 characters 
• Not include the words “image of” or “picture of” 
• Be added to any visual element (graphics, logos, PDFs, charts/graphs, etc.) 
• End with a period 

To add alt text to an image in an email in Emma, click on the image and find the alt text box on the right-side panel under Image Properties.

Color contrast between the foreground and background text and images needs to be high enough for readability but not too bright for people with sensitive eyes or cognitive impairments. This is measured by the luminosity contrast ratio, which is the relative brightness difference between two colors. It ranges from 1:1 (no contrast) to 21:1 (maximum contrast). 

The luminosity contrast ratio should be: 

• 4.5:1 for normal text  
• 3:1 for large text (18+ pts or 14+ pts bolded) 

Check if your colors are accessible.

The font size needs to be large enough to ensure the email is legible to users with visual impairments, cognitive disabilities or aging-related vision loss.  

Font size should: 

• Be no less than 12 pts, with 16 pts recommended for all body text 
• Use the proper Heading level for the content structure, such as Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3, to help screen-reading technology navigate through your email

Clear, descriptive hyperlinks and buttons help email recipients using assistive technology to navigate content efficiently. 

To ensure accessibility, hyperlinks and buttons should: 

• Have meaningful, descriptive link text that indicates the purpose or destination of the link: 
• For example, “Learn more about descriptive text” rather than vague phrases like “click here” or “read more” 
• Make sense even out of context, so screen readers can jump from link to link 
• Be a descriptive phrase that hyperlinks to a URL, not the URL itself 
• Be visually distinct, i.e., underlined and a different color than the body text (at UIC, we use #0000ee). 

For additional information and examples, read the Section 508 Standards and WCAG 2.0 AA on accessible hyperlinks.

When writing email content, it is important to use inclusive language that ensures all recipients feel valued and welcome to participate in the conversation.  

The UIC Inclusive Language Guide covers how to make intentional, unbiased word choices that acknowledge diversity, convey respect to all people and promote equitable opportunities.

Inclusive language should:

• Use asset-based framing
• Have you-centered messaging
• Put people first
• Avoid idioms, jargon and acronyms
• Be mindful of imagery
• Use gender-neutral language
• Recognize the impact of mental health terms

Read the UIC Inclusive Language Guide

When creating an accessible email, your layout is important to ensure content is navigable, readable and understandable for people using assistive technology.

An accessible email layout:

• Is mobile-friendly with readable text, tappable buttons and content that is navigable on smaller screens
• Has a one- or two-column structure
• Does not use charts or tables to convey information

When including a video in an Emma email, note that videos cannot be embedded or played directly in the email.

The video itself needs to be accessible before you add the link to it in Emma. When you insert the video link, Emma automatically pulls in the thumbnail image and adds a play button, so it appears clickable. There are key elements that need to be included in both the video and your email to ensure it is accessible to all of your audience.

Video reminders:

• Any videos linked in your email must include captions of the audio in the video itself.
• If the video is the only piece of content in your email, a transcript of the video must be included in the body of the email.

View this example of using video as the only content in an email.

Animations should be used sparingly and with caution, as they can cause issues for email recipients with cognitive disabilities, epilepsy or motion sensitivity. GIFs should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. 

To be accessible, animations should:

• Stop after five seconds
• Have alt text
• Avoid rapid, blinking or flashing content (more than three times/sec)
• Have a way for users to pause, stop, or hide them
• Have a meaningful first frame, as some email clients only display a static version
• Not include essential information that is not already in the body content
• Maintain sufficient color contrast and readability throughout the animation