Accessibility Best Practices for Emails

Do...

• Write “Le français suit l’anglais”;
• Write “The English follows the French”^{Footnote 1};
• Add a bookmark to let users skip to the section containing their language of choice; and
• Perform language markup (Select English text, go to “Review” … “Language” … “Set Proofing Language”).

Don't...

• Do not alternate one paragraph English and one paragraph French;
• Avoid “Click here for French”;
• Avoid “Cliquer ici pour le français”; and
• Do not place English and French side-by-side using columns or tables.

Do...

• Use plain language;
• Know your audience;
• Choose straightforward vocabulary and simple structures; and
• Divide your text into main points and secondary points.

Don't...

• Do not confuse with oversimplified or condescending style; and
• Avoid writing sentences of more than 20 words.

Do...

• Spell out the first time in usage; and
• Write them in uppercase.

Don't...

Do not add a period or an apostrophe to acronyms.

Do...

Keep the background white to ensure proper contrast.

Don't...

Avoid shading or images for background.

Do...

• Minimal 12 points size;
• Choose Sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Verdana;
• Modify paragraph style to add space; and
• Use styles to structure the text (Titles, Headings, and bulleted lists).

Don't...

• Avoid from using decorative or script fonts, such as Bradley or Brush;
• Avoid using Full Justification;
• Avoid extra spaces or returns for formatting;
• Avoid large amounts of text in bold, italics, underlined or all caps; and
• Avoid animated text.

Do...

• Use simple structures;
• Create header for tables;
• Identify tables with a number for referral; and
• Add alternative text to the table.

Don't...

Avoid merging and splitting cells to ensure proper reading order.

Do...

• Format your text using built-in heading styles;
• Use proper style order; and
• Change style to better fit your needs.

Don't...

• Avoid italic text; and
• Avoid bold and underline of text as it simulates a hyperlink.

Do...

• Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background; and
• Use pattern with colour for charts.

Don't...

Do not convey information by colour alone.

Do...

• Consider content and function when adding alternate text to images (no longer than two sentences);
• Label images with a figure number and refer to them by their number;
• Position all object “in line with text”; and
• Add data table for complex images, such as charts.

Don't...

• Avoid repeating text from the document in the image Alt-Text;
• Do not rely solely on charts to convey meaning;
• Avoid image with floating position;
• Avoid referring to images by their appearances;
• Avoid using “image of”, “graphic of” in the Alt-Text; and
• Avoid using images of text.

Do...

• Provide a descriptive text of a link as to where it leads;
• Text has to be clear “out of context”.

Don't...

• Avoid links such as “click here”;
• Avoid the word “link to”.

Do...

• Use of regular text; and
• Block the signature all “French” and all “English” or vice-versa.

Don't...

• Avoid vCards or Electronic Business Cards.
• Do not mix French and English on the same line; and
• Avoid images in signature blocks.