For more information about accessibility best practices, visit the Access @ Rice Guides.

1. Create precise subject lines so readers understand what the email is about.
   • Avoid ALL CAPS.
   • Avoid unnecessary punctuation.
   • Good subject lines improve searching.
     
     
2. Include all information as text in the body of your email.
   • Use sans-serif fonts between 12-pt and 16-pt for the body.
   • Use plenty of white space to break up blocks of text.
   • Avoid ALL CAPS.
   • It’s okay to use images, but avoid embedding text in images like graphic flyers and scans. Do not just attach a .pdf file. See also Digital Accessibility: Make PDFs More Accessible
   • Revise text so readability is at the early high school level.
     
     
3. Style your text to create semantic structure.
   • Create hierarchy and reading order that is understood visually and by screen readers like JAWS and NVDA.
   • Use heading styles rather than just increasing the font size and applying bold style.
   • Use list formatting rather than just paragraph breaks and/or dashes.
     
     
4. Use concise text to describe where hyperlinks go.
   • Avoid pasting full URLs.
   • Avoid non-descriptive words/phrases like “click here” and “more.”
   • Instead of just “Register,” use “Register for [workshop title].”
   • Alt text of linked images should describe the link, not the image.
     
     
5. Create substantial color contrast between foreground text and background.
   • Use integrated and free third-party tools to calculate contrast ratios.
   • Avoid backgrounds with images, patterns, and bold colors.
   • Avoid using color to communicate meaning/importance.
     
     
6. Create text descriptions (alt text) for all graphic elements like images and charts.
   • Be concise and equivalent.
   • If the information is complex (i.e. charts and graphs), consider describing it in an adjacent paragraph or caption.
   • Only if the image contains no important information, mark it as decorative with empty double quotations like so: alt=“”.
   • Improves Searching.
     
     
7. Review and test your email.
   • Use integrated and free third-party scanning tools.
   • Check across multiple devices.
   • Use a free screen reader utility to test.