Email is one of the most universal communication tools we have at UMBC, and one of the most commonly overlooked places where accessibility breaks down. Whether you’re sending a department update, a meeting invitation, or a campus-wide announcement, the way you format your email affects whether every recipient can actually read and understand it. For users who use screen readers, have low vision, or rely on assistive technology, a poorly formatted email isn’t just inconvenient -- it’s a barrier. The good news: accessible emails are also clearer, better organized, and easier for everyone to read.
These tips apply to Gmail, UMBC’s primary email platform, but the principles carry across any email client.
1. Write a Descriptive, Meaningful Subject Line
Your subject line is the first thing a screen reader announces. Vague subject lines like “FYI,” “Update,” or “Important” don’t tell the recipient what to expect or how urgently to act.
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Be specific: “Staff Meeting Agenda – Thursday, July 10” is more useful than “Agenda.”
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Skip the emoji in subject lines. Screen readers read the emoji name aloud (e.g., “check mark button” and this can bury your actual message.
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Avoid all caps. Screen readers may spell out letters individually, and all caps are harder to read visually.
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Front-load the most important information: “Action Required: Submit Your Training Confirmation by Friday.”
2. Keep Your Structure Simple and Scannable
Long blocks of unbroken text are hard for everyone to read, and especially difficult for screen reader users who need to navigate content linearly. Use structure to make your emails easier to process.
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Use short paragraphs. One idea per paragraph is a good rule of thumb.
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Use real lists (Gmail’s bulleted or numbered list buttons in the formatting toolbar) rather than typing dashes or asterisks manually.
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If your email covers multiple topics, use Gmail’s bold text to create visual section breaks, but use it sparingly so emphasis stays meaningful.
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Avoid using tables for layout in email. Table rendering is inconsistent across email clients, and tables can be confusing for screen reader users.
3. Make Your Links Descriptive
Links in emails are frequently formatted as raw URLs or vague phrases. Both create problems for screen reader users, who often navigate emails by jumping between links.
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Instead of “Click Here” or “Please register using this link: [long link]” you should write: “Register for the July accessibility workshop.” Then embed the link to the descriptive phrase.
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In Gmail: Highlight the text you want to link, press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac), and paste the URL. The visible text, not the URL, becomes the link.
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Avoid linking entire sentences. Link only the meaningful phrase.
4. Use Color and Formatting Thoughtfully
Color can add visual emphasis, but it should never be the only way you communicate information. Recipients with color blindness or low vision may not perceive color differences the way you intend.
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Don’t rely on color alone to indicate importance. Pair color with bold, italics, or explicit language (“Note:” or “Reminder:”).
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Ensure text color has sufficient contrast against the background. Gmail’s default black text on white background is already contrast-compliant. Avoid overriding it with light gray or other low-contrast colors.
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Use bold and italics for emphasis sparingly. Excessive formatting is as hard to read as none.
5. Add Alt Text to Images in Gmail
If you include images in your email -- for example, logos, banners, charts, or photos -- they need alternative text so recipients using screen readers understand what the image conveys.
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In Gmail: Insert an image, then click it and select “Edit alt text.”
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Write a brief description of what the image communicates, not just what it looks like.
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If the image is purely decorative (a banner or divider), consider whether it’s necessary to use it at all. Decorative images in email can slow load times and add clutter.
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Never embed essential information, especially text like event information, only in an image. If the image doesn’t load or can’t be read, that information disappears.
6. Send Attachments That Are Actually Accessible
An email can be well-formatted, while the file attached to it is not. Before attaching a document, take a moment to confirm it will work for every recipient.
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Run the Accessibility Checker in Word or PowerPoint (Review > Check Accessibility) before attaching. It flags missing alt text, poor color contrast, and other common issues.
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For PDFs, export from the source file rather than scanning a paper document. Scanned PDFs are images of text, not readable text, and are inaccessible to screen readers by default.
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Check that your document has a logical structure: real headings, readable lists, and meaningful link text. The same principles that apply to your email apply to what you attach to it.
When in doubt, put the information in the email body instead. The most accessible attachment is one that doesn’t need to exist.
7. Test Before You Send
Before sending a high-stakes email to a large group, take 60 seconds to review it with accessibility in mind:
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Read your subject line out loud. Is it clear without any surrounding context?
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Read your link text out loud. Does each link tell you where it goes?
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Try removing all color from your email mentally. Does it still make sense?
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If you’ve included an image, check that it has alt text.
Accessible email takes only a little more time to write, and makes a significant difference for the colleagues and community members who receive it.