Make your mail messages and calendar events accessible to people with disabilities

This topic gives you step-by-step instructions to make your email messages and calendar events accessible to people with disabilities.

People who are blind or have low vision can understand your email messages and calendar events more easily if you create them with accessibility in mind.

Best practices for making email and calendar events accessible

The following table includes key best practices for creating Mail for Windows 10 email and Calendar for Windows 10 events that are accessible to people with disabilities.

What to fix	Why fix it	How to fix it
Include alternative text with all visuals. Visual content includes pictures, SmartArt graphics, shapes, groups, charts, embedded objects, ink, and videos.	Alt text helps people who can't see the screen to understand what's important in images and other visuals. Avoid using text in images as the sole method of conveying important information. If you must use an image with text in it, repeat that text in the document. In alt text, briefly describe the image and mention the existence of the text and its intent.	Add alt text to visuals
Add meaningful hyperlink text.	People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, instead of linking to the text Click here, include the full title of the destination page.	Add hyperlink text
Ensure that color is not the only means of conveying information.	People who are blind, have low vision, or are colorblind might miss out on the meaning conveyed by particular colors. For example, add an underline to color-coded hyperlink text so that people who are colorblind know that the text is linked even if they can't see the color. For headings, consider adding bold or using a larger font.	Use accessible font format
Use sufficient contrast for text and background colors.	The text in your email should be readable in High Contrast mode so that everyone, including people with visual disabilities, can see it well. For example, use bright colors or high-contrast color schemes on opposite ends of the color spectrum. White and black schemes make it easier for people who are colorblind to distinguish text and shapes.	Use accessible font color
Use a larger font size (11pt or larger), sans serif fonts, and sufficient white space.	People who have dyslexia describe seeing text "swim together" on a page (the compressing of one line of text into the line below). They often see text merge or distort. For people who have dyslexia or have low vision, reduce the reading load. For example, they may benefit from familiar sans serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri. Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics or underlines. Include ample white space between paragraphs.	Use accessible font format
Use built-in headings and styles.	To preserve tab order and to make it easier for screen readers to read your email or calendar event, use a logical heading order and the built-in formatting tools in Mail for Windows 10 and Calendar for Windows 10. For example, organize headings in the prescribed logical order. Use Heading 1, Heading 2, and then Heading 3, rather than Heading 3, Heading 1, and then Heading 2. And, organize the information into small chunks. Ideally, each heading would include only a few paragraphs.	Use accessible font format Use bulleted list styles Use ordered lists
Use a simple table structure, and specify column header information.	Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, the screen reader loses count and can't provide helpful information about the table after that point. Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table. Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns.	Use table headers

Add alt text to visuals

Add alt text to visuals, such as pictures, screenshots, icons, videos, and 3D models, so that screen readers can read the text to describe the visual to users who can't see it.

Note: You cannot add alt text in Calendar for Windows 10.

1. Select a visual, and then select Picture > Alt Text.

2. Type the Title and Description to describe the image and its context to someone who cannot see it.

   

Add hyperlink text

1. Select the text to which you want to add the hyperlink.

2. In Mail, select Insert > Link. In Calendar, select Format > Link. The text you selected displays in the Text to display box. This is the hyperlink text.

3. If necessary, change the hyperlink text. In the Address box, type the destination URL.

Tip: If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate summary of what's on the page, use it for the hyperlink text. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page: Templates and Themes for Office Online.

Use accessible font format

1. Select your text.

2. Select the Format tab.

3. Select your formatting choices for font type, size, style, and color.

Use accessible font color

To ensure that text displays well in High Contrast mode, use the Automatic setting for font colors.

Note: You cannot use Automatic font color in Calendar for Windows 10. You should pick high-contrast colors such as black and white manually.

1. Select your text.

2. Select the Format tab.

3. Select the Font Color button.

4. Select Automatic.

Use bulleted list styles

Create bulleted lists by using the Bullets button.

Note:  Calendar for Windows 10 only has one bulleted style.

1. Position the cursor anywhere in your email.

2. Select the Format tab.

3. Select the Bullets button, and select the style you want.

4. Type each bullet item in the bulleted list.

Use ordered lists

Create sequential steps by using the Numbering button.

Note:  Calendar for Windows 10 only has one ordered style.

1. Position the cursor anywhere in your email.

2. Select the Format tab.

3. Select the Numbering button, and select the style you want.

4. Type the sequential steps.

Use table headers

Specify a header row in a table.

1. Position the cursor anywhere in a table.

2. Select Table > Style Options, and then select the Header Row option.

3. Type your column headings.

See also

Rules for the Accessibility Checker

Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities

Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

Adjust your audio during a lync meeting

When you join a Lync meeting, you can decide which type of audio to use and, depending on your choice, you'll have different options and audio controls.

Tip:  Check the quality of your audio before a meeting, or when you switch your device. For details, see Set up, test, and troubleshoot Skype for Business (Lync) audio.

If you're using computer audio (mic and speakers):

• Pause on the phone/mic icon, in the meeting window, to access the controls, and then do any of the following:

• To help audio quality, click the Mute button if you're not speaking.

  Tip:  To quickly mute your audio, just click the Microphone icon.

• To put the call on hold, click the Hold Call button.

• To change your audio device, click the Devices tab, and pick the device you want.

If you used the Call me feature (Lync calls you) or dialed in to the meeting audio with a phone:

• Press *1 on your phone key pad to access the meeting help system. You can control your audio with the touch-tone commands, such as mute, unmute, and other commands.

Introduction to the outlook calendar

Calendar is the calendar and scheduling component of Outlook that is fully integrated with email, contacts, and other features.

Just as you write in a notebook, you can click any time slot in the Outlook Calendar and start typing. By using the Calendar you can create appointments and events, organize meetings, view group schedules, and much more.

• Create appointments and events     

  Click any time slot in the Outlook Calendar and start to type to create your appointment or event. You can opt to have a sound or message remind you of appointments, meetings, and events, and you can color items for quick identification.

  For more information, see Create or schedule an appointment and Create an event.

• Organize meetings    

Select a time on the Calendar, create a meeting request, and select the people to invite. Outlook helps you find the earliest time when all the invitees are free. When you send the meeting request by email, the invitees receive the request in their Inbox. When the invitees open the request, they can accept, tentatively accept, or decline your meeting by clicking a single button. If your request conflicts with an item on the invitees' Calendar, Outlook displays a notification. If you, as the meeting organizer, allow this, invitees can propose an alternative meeting time. As the organizer, you can track who accepts or declines the request or who proposes another time for the meeting by opening the request.

For more information, see Schedule a meeting with other people.

• View group schedules    

  You can create calendars that show the schedules of a group of people or resources. For example, you can view the schedules of all the people in your department or all the resources, such as conference rooms, in your building. This helps you schedule meetings quickly.

• View calendars side-by-side    

  You can view side-by-side multiple calendars that you created and also calendars shared by other Outlook users. For example, you can create a separate calendar for your personal appointments and view both your work and personal calendars side-by-side.

  For more information, see View multiple calendars at the same time.

  You can also copy or move appointments between the displayed calendars. Use the Navigation Pane to quickly share your own calendar and open other shared calendars. Depending on the permissions granted by the owner of a calendar, you can create or appointments on shared calendars.

  For more information, see Share an Outlook calendar with other people and Manage another person's mail and calendar items.

• View calendars on top of one another in overlay view     

  You can use overlay view to display multiple calendars that you created and also calendars shared by other Outlook users. For example, you can create a separate calendar for your personal appointments and overlay your work and personal calendars to quickly see where you have conflicts or free time.

  For more information, see View multiple calendars at the same time.

• Link to calendars on Microsoft SharePoint sites    

  If you have access to a SharePoint site, you can view the lists of events from that site in your Outlook Calendar. You can change the list in Outlook, even when you are working offline. The changes are automatically synchronized when you connect to the Internet again. Also, you can view the SharePoint calendars side-by-side with other personal or shared calendars.

• Send calendars to anyone through email    

You can send your calendar to a mail recipient as an Internet Calendar, but keep control over how much information is shared. Your calendar information appears in the body of the email message as an Internet Calendar attachment that the recipient can open in Outlook.

For more information, see Introduction to calendar sharing.

• Subscribe to Internet Calendars    

  Internet Calendar Subscriptions resemble Internet Calendars, except that the downloaded calendar is synchronized regularly with the Internet Calendar and updated.

• Manage another user's calendar    

  With the Delegate Access feature, one person can use his or her own copy of Outlook to easily manage another person's calendar. For example, an administrative assistant can manage the calendar of a manager. When the manager designates the assistant as a delegate, the assistant can create, move, or delete appointments and can organize meetings on the manager's behalf.

  For more information, see Manage another person's mail and calendar items.

Call a contact on their work or mobile number

To call someone on their work or mobile number, tap Contacts, find the person in your Contacts list, or type the person's name in the search box. When you find the contact, tap their name, and then tap either their work or mobile number. This will call the person on their work line or mobile phone.

Depending on how you set your VoIP call options, when you make a call it could use Wi-Fi or your cellular data plan. For more information, go to Adjust your data use settings.