by Annie Davidson
August 08, 2023
With all the hard work your association puts toward email marketing efforts, it would be a shame if a portion of your audience was unable to read some or all of your content. Not only that, but neglecting to utilize inclusive design that allows everyone to understand your email sends the message that individuals with disabilities are not an important part of your association. According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people worldwide experience vision impairment. In addition, those with learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, deafness, hearing loss, speech disabilities, and physical disabilities may have difficulty consuming content which is not designed with inclusion in mind. These quick tips will help you take the first step toward email accessibility and show your commitment to your diverse membership.
Hyperlinks
We often see the phrase “learn more” when hyperlinking so that readers will be compelled to click the link to another source. However, a single word, such as “more,” can be difficult for someone with diminished motor skills to click on. Increase the size of your clickable area and improve clarity for those using assistive technology by including more descriptive text, such as “learn more about our upcoming conference.”
Images
When a reader utilizes assistive devices, images that have no alternative text are skipped over. Be sure to use this feature to include a description of the images along with any context that may be important to understand or enhance the content. When using complex images, such as charts or infographics, be sure to include plain text to convey all visual information.
Color contrast
A low color contrast can present big challenges for the visually impaired, as well as those experiencing color blindness. There are many contrast checking tools, such as Contrast Checker, which can help you ensure buttons, headings, and body text are easy to read.
Plain text versions
Many email marketing platforms allow you to edit the plain-text version of your email. Content automatically generated for this purpose can be excessively wordy without images to break it up. Make sure you are considering how this information will come across to those using assistive technology by giving this version its own editing attention, ensuring clarity and conciseness. Be sure headers are clearly styled for easy navigation.
Use an accessibility checker
Not sure if your email is hitting the mark for everyone? Many accessibility checking tools exist to give you feedback on what needs to improve. Accessible-email.org, for example, allows you to submit HTML code or web versions for feedback.
It only takes a short time to ensure your content is accessible to all. Make sure you are sending the right message about your organization’s commitment to inclusion by taking steps to make certain individuals facing a situational, temporary, or permanent disability have the same great experience your other members receive.
Annie Davidson is in Corporate Marketing at Smithbucklin.