Accessible emails

Whether you are emailing internally or externally you should remember the accessibility principles. With 16 million in the UK having a disability, you’re probably emailing people with a disability without knowing. It is important you respect everyone you work with equally by making your communication accessible.

Email top tips

• Use clear, informative subject lines that explain what the email is about.

• Follow the accessible writing tips to make your content easy to understand.

• Make sure you are using an accessible font style and size. A minimum of point 12 font size is best for normal body text. 

• If you are using colours, make sure you check the colour contrast is sufficient. 

• Don’t link the words ‘click here’ or similar. Explain where your links are going.

• For longer emails, use headings to separate the content. 

• Gifs should only be used if they stop after 5 seconds. They shouldn’t flash continuously, as this can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy.

• Images and gifs should always have alternative text.

• If you use images with text in them, like a graphic or screenshot, the text should be repeated in the email.

A person using a braille keyboard