Five Tips for Accessible Emails

June 1, 2026

Email is the primary method of formal communication between instructors, staff, students, and external partners. Whether responding to questions, sharing course information, or providing support, accessible emails help ensure all recipients can understand and act on your message.

Accessible emails support people with disabilities—and benefit everyone, especially those reading quickly on mobile devices or in stressful contexts.

Five Tips

1. Write clearly and inclusively
   • Use plain language that is easy to understand on the first read
   • Keep sentences short and focused
   • Avoid jargon or idioms; define key terms when needed
   • Use clear, descriptive subject lines to communicate the email purpose
   • Write in a direct, supportive tone
2. Use structure to organize content clearly
   • Structure content in a logical order for easy reading
   • Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs
   • Group related information together
   • Put key information at the top
   • Avoid long, dense blocks of text
3. Use meaningful text for links and text
   • Use descriptive text for links (e.g., “Download the syllabus”)
   • Avoid “click here” and long pasted URLs
   • Include essential information in the email body (not only in attachments or images)
   • Clearly describe attachments and their purpose
4. Design for readability
   • Use simple layouts (e.g., single column)
   • Choose readable fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri) in 12 pt or larger
   • Ensure strong contrast between text and background (e.g., dark text on a light background)
   • Do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning
5. Check accessibility before sending
   • Add alternative text (alt text) or image descriptions to all images
   • Avoid flashing or animated content
   • Use the built-in Outlook Accessibility Checker to identify issues

How This Helps

Accessible emails:

• Reduce cognitive load and support accessibility for recipients with learning disabilities, ADHD, or brain injuries
• Improve access for recipients using screen readers or other assistive technology
• Support multilingual recipients
• Makes messages easier to read on mobile devices.
• Ensure important information is not missed
• Improve clarity, efficiency, and recipient responses

Learn More

• Making Accessible Emails | Government of Canada
• Email Accessibility Best Practices | Accessible.org
• 2026 Guide to Creating Accessible Emails | Litmus
• Creating Accessible Email | Johns Hopkins University

Ensure written communication is accessible for your email recipients by using one or more of these tips. Stay tuned, five tips to improve accessibility in surveys is coming tomorrow.