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Re: Microsoft Outlook and A11y

for

From: John Foliot
Date: Aug 15, 2012 7:04PM

David Ashleydale wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Are there tips written down anywhere for composing emails in Microsoft
> Outlook with accessibility in mind? Is it pretty much the same as using
> Microsoft Word?
>

So I might be a luddite, but I hate HTML rich emails and generally avoid
sending them: I have my Outlook configured to send plain text emails by
default.

If you are looking to send out "newsletter" type emails, you might want to
check out The Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard -
http://www.headstar.com/ten/

From their site: "The TEN Standard was developed by E-Access Bulletin, a
free email newsletter on access to technology by people with impaired
vision, published by Headstar in partnership with the Royal National
Institute of the Blind (RNIB)."

While this is not a strict "Standard" in-so-much as it has been vetted and
approved by a standards body, it none-the-less is a oft-used formatting
standard for emails of this nature that has a respectable provenance. It's
pretty straight forward, and has a predictability factor in its favor. I've
never really queried daily screen reader users on their thoughts of this
standard, but I guess we'll hear back soon enough <grin> - cue the users on
this list.

Cheers!

JF