Making Your Marketing Cloud Emails Accessible

Effective April 24, 2026, federal law (ADA Title II) requires all University of Pittsburgh digital content — including emails — to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. Here's what to do every time you build an email in Content Builder.

Before You Hit Send — Quick Checklist

• ☐ Every image has alt text (or blank alt text if purely decorative)
• ☐ Text is 14px minimum (16px+ recommended)
• ☐ Text/background colors pass a 4.5:1 contrast ratio
• ☐ Links say what they go to (not "click here")
• ☐ Buttons are large enough to tap (44x44px minimum)
• ☐ No important info lives only inside an image

1. Add Alt Text to Every Image

Alt text is what screen readers read aloud and what displays when images are blocked. This is the #1 thing you can do.

In Content Builder, click your Image block → find the "Alt Text" field in the Content tab on the left → type a short, specific description.

Tips: Be specific ("Students crossing the Cathedral lawn" not "photo"). If the image contains text, include that text. Leave alt text blank for decorative images like dividers.

2. Check Your Color Contrast

Pitt Blue (#003594) on white is great. Pitt Gold (#FFB81C) on white fails — don't use Gold as text on light backgrounds.

To check: note your text hex color (font color picker in the toolbar) and background hex color (Design tab), then paste both into the free WebAIM Contrast Checker. You need a 4.5:1 ratio to pass.

3. Write Descriptive Links

Screen reader users tab through links — if they all say "Click Here," it's useless.

Also keep links underlined so they're identifiable without relying on color alone.

4. Use Real Text, Not Images of Text

If your event date, headline, or call to action is baked into a graphic, screen readers can't read it, users can't resize it, and it disappears when images are blocked. Put important information in live text and use images to support, not replace, your message.

5. Use Headings for Structure

Don't just make text big and bold — use the Format dropdown in the text toolbar to select Primary Title, Secondary Title, etc. This lets screen readers navigate your email by section.

6. Verify Your Email Is Mobile-Responsive

A responsive email automatically adjusts its layout to fit smaller screens — text stays readable, buttons stay tappable, and multi-column layouts stack into a single column so the reading order stays logical. Content Builder usually handles this automatically, but only if the underlying template was built correctly.

How to check: Click Preview at the top of the Content Builder editor and toggle to the mobile icon. You should see columns stacking vertically and text remaining a readable size. If everything just shrinks to a tiny version of the desktop layout or columns stay side-by-side.

This supports Pitt's compliance with the ADA Title II Final Rule requiring WCAG 2.1 AA conformance by April 24, 2026.