Accessible E-mail: Messages That Everyone Can Read is written by the Division of Blind Services, Florida Department of Education. The PowerPoint version is also available online.
A few points about accessible email are below:
Things to Avoid
· Backgrounds commonly known as stationary
· Special characters like the © (Copyright symbol) or a (smiley face)
· Graphics or clip art, unless you know how to add alt tags
· ALL CAPS
· Fancy fonts such as cursive or graphic signature blocks. Stick with san-serif fonts such as Ariel or Verdana.
Header: One of the most important elements in an e-mail Header is the subject field. The subject field is the first field your reader sees – or in many cases does not see because it is empty. Many people sort their mail according to subject. Leaving the subject field empty, or providing a vague or meaningless subject can confuse your readers. A subject field that just says RE, which means regarding, with no further explanation – is meaningless
Composing a Subject Line
· Write brief concise subjects for your e-mail
· When reusing old e-mails (forwarding or responding) – Rename your subject based on the new content
· If you are part of a team using e-mail, consider using a brief acronym in front of the subject. This acronym can be used for sorting the e-mail messages.
Conclusion: Always make sure that you:
· Provide a concise, clear subject line
· Use plain language in the body of your message
· Remove unnecessary information before forwarding or replying to an email and rename the subject as needed
· Provide a summary for attachments and make sure that attachments are readable by everyone
By following these practices, your e-mail will be much more efficient and accessible to all your recipients. Remember, your goal is to get the message across to everyone the first time.
A few points about accessible email are below:
Things to Avoid
· Backgrounds commonly known as stationary
· Special characters like the © (Copyright symbol) or a (smiley face)
· Graphics or clip art, unless you know how to add alt tags
· ALL CAPS
· Fancy fonts such as cursive or graphic signature blocks. Stick with san-serif fonts such as Ariel or Verdana.
Header: One of the most important elements in an e-mail Header is the subject field. The subject field is the first field your reader sees – or in many cases does not see because it is empty. Many people sort their mail according to subject. Leaving the subject field empty, or providing a vague or meaningless subject can confuse your readers. A subject field that just says RE, which means regarding, with no further explanation – is meaningless
Composing a Subject Line
· Write brief concise subjects for your e-mail
· When reusing old e-mails (forwarding or responding) – Rename your subject based on the new content
· If you are part of a team using e-mail, consider using a brief acronym in front of the subject. This acronym can be used for sorting the e-mail messages.
Conclusion: Always make sure that you:
· Provide a concise, clear subject line
· Use plain language in the body of your message
· Remove unnecessary information before forwarding or replying to an email and rename the subject as needed
· Provide a summary for attachments and make sure that attachments are readable by everyone
By following these practices, your e-mail will be much more efficient and accessible to all your recipients. Remember, your goal is to get the message across to everyone the first time.
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