Accessibility
Why accessible emails matter
Every government email must be readable, understandable and actionable—for everyone. This includes people using screen readers, high-contrast modes or keyboard navigation.
Globally, about 285 million people live with visual impairment, and 36 million are blind. Colour-vision deficiency affects 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women. This is too large—and too important—a group to ignore. Accessible emails are not just inclusive; they also reduce legal risk. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), referenced in Australian law, set the standard.
Challenges in HTML email
Unlike websites, HTML emails often rely on nested tables, simplified CSS and inconsistent client support. Without care, this can:
disrupt reading order
hide meaning shown only by colour
leave images inaccessible without alt text.
Campaign Monitor and Vision Australia identify key elements for accessible emails:
logical reading order
semantic headings
sufficient contrast
meaningful link text.
The NSW Email Design System: accessibility by default
The NSW Email Design System embeds accessibility into every component:
Semantic markup: All headings, lists and tables use correct tags. Decorative tables use role="presentation" so screen readers skip layout-only elements.
Colour compliance: The Tailwind preset uses colour tokens that meet WCAG 2.2 AA contrast standards. A linter flags non-compliant custom colours.
Alt-text enforcement: All image components require alt text. Builds fail if it’s missing, supporting Vision Australia's guidance that all informative images must include alternatives.
Touch-friendly design: Buttons and icons are padded to 44 × 44 px, meeting WCAG and Apple guidelines. Focus styles remain, even in clients that strip outlines.
Language support: Default layouts include lang="en" and support for right-to-left languages, helping screen readers pronounce content correctly.
Continuous accessibility checks
Running npm run build does more than inline CSS. It runs automated accessibility tests through Litmus, checking over 40 criteria. These include:
missing lang attributes
low-contrast text
simulation of four types of colour-vision deficiency.
Your role as a developer
The framework does the heavy lifting, but developers must still:
write clear, descriptive subject lines and headings
use meaningful link text (e.g. “Download the guide” not “Click here”)
ensure animated GIFs respect reduced-motion settings and don’t flash more than three times per second.
These content choices aren't automated—they're up to you. But our tooling makes it easier to get them right.
Build once. Reach everyone.
Accessible emails are essential—not optional. They ensure government messages reach all Australians. The NSW Email Design System helps you start with WCAG-aligned patterns, automated checks and strong defaults, so you can focus on the message, not the markup.