The Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard.

Welcome to the home page of the Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard, which is designed to improve the readability of plain text email newsletters by all readers, including people with visual impairments using special access technologies. Please note that this standard is not intended for application to HTML pages, or as an alternative to web accessibility standards: it is purely a set of guidelines, mostly relating to textual structure rather than technical issues, for creators of plain text newsletters sent out by email. Many parts of the standard are optional; others are compulsory if newsletter publishers would like to state that they adhere to the TEN Standard.

The standard may be reproduced as long as it is always reproduced in its entirety, and as long as it is always distributed free of charge. For full terms see the notes at the end of the standard. We will continually update the TEN Standard according to the feedback we receive. Please email suggestions for improvements to:
ten-standard@headstar.com .

The current version of the standard is 1.2 and you can view it in two formats:
TEN Standard - plain text
TEN Standard - Word file

Signing up to the Standard.

Organisations and individuals who produce email newsletters and who adhere to this standard are encouraged to sign up to express their support for our work. There are currently more than 30 organisations worldwide signed up, including government departments, local authorities, companies and charities. Here is a list of all our current signatories:
TEN Standard signatory list - plain text.
TEN Standard signatory list - Word file.

We look forward to seeing your name added to this list! To sign up, simply email a note with a sample of how you use the standard to:
ten-standard@headstar.com .

We also ask that you include a link to this page - http://www.headstar.com/ten - somewhere at the end of your newsletters. All signatories will be notified of each new round of consultation on proposed new versions of the standard. If you have any queries, please email us on:
ten-standard@headstar.com .

The TEN Standard was developed by E-Access Bulletin, a free email newsletter on access to technology by people with impaired vision, published by Headstar in partnership with the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). To subscribe to E-Access Bulletin, email eab-subs@headstar.com or see http://www.headstar.com/eab.

And for a sample issue of E-Access Bulletin, which will also show you an example of the TEN Standard in current use, please click here.