[CEUD-ICT] Accessible HTML email

[Barry McMullin]

On Tue, 10 Feb 2009, fomarcaigh at gmail.com wrote:

> I know that there are particular problems with accessible HTML email, mainly
> due to the standards non-compliance of many email clients. But most HTML
> email (partly because of this) also comes with a link to "read this email in
> your browser". There is no reason that browser version should not be
> accessible to AA or better.

Hi Fiachra -

Opening an HTML email message in an external browser would
potentially get around accessibility barriers associated with the
reader functionality of the email client (if any); but it can't
address accessibility problems that are due to defects in the
HTML itself.  The latter may indeed be due to accessibility
defects in whatever email client was used by the *writer* of the
message (e.g., if the email composer tool doesn't meet the ATAG
guidelines, such as not supporting proper markup of headings,
lists, tables, embedded images etc.); or the tool (the email
client message composer) might be perfectly accessible, but the
person writing the message didn't understand how to use it
correctly to produce accessible content.

I have not reviewed the accessibility (in particular ATAG
conformance) of email clients in some time, so I don't know what
the current "state of the art" is. But it is worth noting that
there is no in-principle difference about evaluating ATAG
conformance for "online" email clients (running in browsers, such
as gmail etc.) versus "native", standalone, applications (outlook
etc.).

As you can see, I personally still tend to stick with genuinely
"plain text" email; but I'm probably a dying breed. In any case,
if better support for standards-based, accessible, HTML email
emerges, I would be happy to consider switching over to it. I
don't see the evidence for that yet, but would certainly be
interested in hearing of others' experiences.

(As to the other "simple text markup" approaches, such as TEN,
thanks to Dónal for dredging up my previous comments, which I
more or less still stand by.  There are lots of these proposals
floating around; and that, unfortunately, is the problem. I have
no issue with people using them for "backend" authoring - indeed,
I use a number of them myself in that way, in different contexts.
But, for the time being at least, none of them seems to have the
stability and penetration that would make me comfortable using
it for "generic" email. Just my 2c worth.)

Best regards - Barry.

--
Barry McMullin, Dublin City University
   phone: +353-1-700-5432
   web: http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~mcmullin/