Email accessibility: a (real) issue we can no longer ignore

Over one billion people live with a disability worldwide (source: WHO).
And yet… accessibility is still too often missing from email campaigns.
The result? Inaccessible emails, a part of your audience left out, and a brand image that can suffer.

At Dartagnan, we’ve chosen not to look the other way: accessibility has been our fight since 2015. Not to just “tick a box”, but to provide an inclusive, empowering experience for everyone. 💪

Here’s the truth: making a website accessible is already a technical challenge.
But email? It’s a whole other level. Why?

• Dozens of different email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail...);

• Standards that vary from one email client to another;

• And extremely limited HTML/CSS support (goodbye modern tools 👋).

Still, we’re making progress.
Our Email Builder has already seen 3 major updates focused on accessibility.
Our emails were audited by Warren Walter, a key player in digital inclusion, and thanks to our improvements, we raised our score from 71% to 95%.
What now? We’ve built our own auditing tools to keep progressing independently.

Because your clients are affected too — probably more than you think.

An accessible email means:

• Respecting people who use screen readers, keyboards, or visual aids;

• Showing that your brand is inclusive, caring, and attentive;

• Preparing for the European Accessibility Act, which comes into force in June 2025 for most companies.

With the European Accessibility Act, many industries will need to comply: e-commerce, banking, telecom, transport, media…
And if your company has 10 or more employees and generates over €2 million in revenue, you’re included.

Spoiler: we’re already ahead of the game. 😎
With Dartagnan, your emails are ready for Day One. No stress.

Tech is our job. But to hit 95% compliance (or higher), we also need your help. 💡
Here are the best practices to follow on the content side:

• Add alternative text to informative images;

• Ensure strong contrast between text and background;

• Use a legible font size (minimum 14 px);

• Structure your content with clear headings (H1, H2, H3…);

• Avoid using tables for layout purposes;

• Write descriptive links (“See the Spring collection” instead of “click here”);

• Test keyboard navigation;

• Use tools like WAVE or Axe for final checks.

Our vision at Dartagnan:
To create increasingly accessible campaigns, as naturally as we build for responsive or interactivity.
We’re continuing to improve our platform, and more importantly: we support you every step of the way — because inclusive also means collective.

We get it — it can feel intimidating.
But here’s the good news: you’re not alone.

Dartagnan handles the technical part. You apply a few content best practices.
Together, we expand your audience and make the digital world a bit fairer.