Accessibility in Documents and Emails

Make your emails, ParentSquare Posts, Google Docs, and digital handouts usable for everyone.

Whether you’re writing an email to families, creating a class assignment in Schoology, or sharing information with staff, the content you create needs to be accessible. That means screen reader users, people with low vision, and those using mobile devices or assistive tools must be able to read and navigate it without barriers.

Avoid Text Inside Images

Don’t paste flyers or graphics with a lot of text into documents or emails—screen readers can’t read text that’s part of an image.
Instead, use an attention grabbing graphic with only a few words and put the information from the flyer or graphic into your document as plain text.

What we do NOT want

AVOID text embedded in images!

Info Graphic with graduation class photo and Class of 2025 Stats used for an example

It has all the information someone needs on it, but if a person needs a screen reader or for it to be translated, they are out of luck. It's also hard to read on a cell phone because some of the text is very small. A flyer like this is great if you are printing it out and handing it to someone or hanging it up, but it will not work online.

What we WANT to do instead

Students graduating throwing their caps in the air

Create an attention grabbing graphic with a few words and then write out the information in plain text. This is perfect for social media, newsletters, emails, and websites!

Use Proper Headings and Structure in Documents

Headings play a key role in making digital documents accessible and easy to navigate—for everyone, but especially for people using assistive technology like screen readers. They give structure to your content by organizing it into sections and signaling what each section is about.

Think of headings like a table of contents that screen readers and other tools use to help users jump to the parts they need. Without proper headings, a person using assistive technology may have to listen to the entire document in order to find what they’re looking for.

An In-Depth Look at Document Headings

An In-Depth Look at Document Headings

Use Real Headings—Not Just Bold or Big Text

When creating a document, it’s important to use actual heading styles—not just bold or large font—to structure your content. While bold or larger text may look like a heading, it doesn’t function like one for people using assistive technologies.

What Are Headings?

Headings are labeled pieces of text that help organize your content into sections and subsections. Think of them like chapter titles and subheadings in a book. Most word processing programs (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs) have built-in heading styles, usually labeled “Heading 1,” “Heading 2,” and so on.

Why Headings Matter

Using proper heading styles:

Provides structure that screen readers and other assistive tech can understand
Improves navigation, especially for users who rely on keyboard shortcuts to jump from section to section
Creates consistency in formatting across your document
Allows for automatic generation of tables of contents

Without true headings, a document becomes harder to navigate and interpret for many users—including people with vision impairments or learning disabilities.

How to Use Headings Correctly

Use “Heading 1” for your document title (only once!)
Use “Heading 2” for main sections, and “Heading 3” for subsections under those
Keep the order logical and nested—don’t skip heading levels (e.g., don’t jump from Heading 2 to Heading 4)

Stick with heading styles provided by your program rather than changing font size or style manually.

Screenshot of Google Headings offered through Google Doc

Use Clear, Plain Language

Write in a straightforward, conversational tone.
Avoid jargon or acronyms unless you explain them.
Break up long paragraphs into shorter, scannable sections.

Use Color Carefully

Never rely on color alone to communicate meaning

If color is needed to convey meaning, ensure that there is a text alternative or other visual indicator for that meaning as well.

Make sure text color contrasts clearly with the background.

Using strong color contrast ensures your content is readable by more people—including those with visual impairments—and helps us stay compliant with accessibility requirements.

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