Accessible Social Media

There’s a lot of chatter about how to be accessible in practice. It’s also something we are very conscientious about, given that one of our founders is deaf and knows firsthand what it’s like to see content that is inaccessible. So we thought, why not share our tips for creating accessible social media? After all, inclusivity benefits everyone! (And the best part is it’s not all that hard to make part of your everyday practice!)

Copy

Let’s start with copy because that’s the universal thread between all forms of social media.

• Use sentence case, wherein the first letter of each sentence is capitalized.
• Avoid using all-caps or mixing capital letters and lower case letters (LiKe ThIS).
• Keep your language straightforward and easy to understand. That means no run-on sentences, excessive paragraphs, or jargon. 
• Aim for an eighth-grade reading level. After all, you’re not publishing a dissertation on social media (though if you are, consider us impressed.)
• If you need to use an acronym, spell it out first. Don’t assume every reader has familiarity with your internal language. 
• Use inclusive language! Whether that means using people-first language; steering clear of outdated phrases or cultural appropriation; or reviewing your text to see if there’s any implicit bias, it all counts. If you’re not sure how to phrase something, ask! It’s a great way to ensure your language is appropriate, accurate, and inclusive of the reader. 

Design

If you’re creating content for social media, chief among your design goals should be ensuring accessibility, regardless of whether it’s for graphics, photos, or videos. 

• Be mindful of text blocks and backgrounds in your design and whether they would pass a color contrast test. (Not sure how to check? We like this one, Coolors color contrast checker.) 
• Speaking of text on images, keep it short and sweet! Screen readers aren’t able to parse text in images, which is why alt text is so important. (More on that in a moment.) If you have an important message to convey, make sure it is in both the image and the caption. 
• When it comes to fonts, choose one that’s easy to read. And nothing smaller than 12 points, please. 
• Finally, think about who is represented in your visuals. Does it reflect your organization’s community fully? Or just a small subset? When people can see themselves in your social media content, it makes them feel like they already belong. 

‍‍Alt Text

Good alt text is helpful, descriptive, and paints a picture for the user. Bad alt text is blank spaces where alt text should reside, non-descriptive, or used as another caption. Because so many users rely on screen readers, alt text has become imperative for organizations who want to be fully accessible to their constituencies. 

• Details matter! Which one paints the better picture? “Beige dog” or “Small fawn-colored dog on the sidewalk in a purple harness and matching leash with ears perked up.” 
• Keep your descriptions short and sweet. Aim for 125 characters if possible, but don’t be afraid to go longer to ensure the reader has the relevant information and appropriate context. 
• If your visual has information that would be useful to the reader, such as a graph, summarize the findings as part of the alt text. For example, “Pie chart indicating that chocolate was voted the more popular flavor.” 
• If keywords are relevant and help paint the picture, include them! They can support your SEO.

Social media platforms have gotten the memo and have made it easy to add alt text to your images natively in the publishing process. If you haven’t seen this come up, do a little research to figure out where you can add your alt text to your posts. 

Emojis

Emojis are visual symbols that can have coded meanings depending on color (hi, we wrote a whole blog about them!) But for those who are blind or have low vision, emojis may not be easily recognizable. Additionally, screen readers don’t always reliably describe emojis, which can inhibit any sense of context intended by the use of the emoji. 

• Emojis can break up the flow of a sentence. If someone sent you a message that was read out loud as, “Laughing face, laughing face, laughing face, that was so funny,” it would take a lot longer to get to the point than simply saying, “That was so funny, laughing face.” 
• While emojis are meant to be universal, not all users understand the meaning of a given emoji. Use emojis as a supplement, not a substitute for your words.
• Some emojis rely on color to convey meaning or distinguish between different elements. For example, the meaning of a red heart emoji is very different from a yellow heart emoji — red signifies love, generally, while the yellow heart signifies joy, happiness, and friendship. But not everyone knows the difference between colors. Stick to the most representative option. 

Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to add context to your post, though they don’t necessarily increase reach or engagement. If you decide to use them…

• Use Pascal case — where the first letter of each word is capitalized. For example, #SunnySideCreative. It can help a screen reader parse out where each word begins and ends. It can support users with intellectual and developmental disabilities in recognizing each word. And it can make it easier for someone who prefers to skim content to immediately understand the hashtag. 
• One other benefit of capitalizing each word: it ensures your words are read as intended and not misinterpreted like these hashtag fails. Just to be safe, before you create a hashtag, run it by someone else to make sure there’s nothing you might have overlooked. Attention is good, but not when it’s for the wrong reasons!

Video

You might be thinking it’s all about the captions — and you would be right. But there’s actually two layers to this. First, more and more people prefer to watch videos without sound — not just those who are deaf or hard of hearing. For example, if you have a sleeping baby lying on you, the last thing you want is the blast of sound to wake them up, right? Secondly, captions accommodate auditory processing needs and cognitive challenges, allowing you to be more accessible to more folk. And at the end of the day, it’s all about being more accessible!

• If you’re posting a video with voiceover sound, review the transcript that supports it. This way, you can ensure that contextual information is included and key information isn’t missing. For example, are there multiple speakers? Relevant background noise? Adding in these details can paint a fuller picture. 
• If you’re adding captions to a video, be aware of placement. Auto-caption tools within social media often place captions toward the bottom of the screen. For best readability, put your captions elsewhere in your video.
• High-contrast, high-contrast, high-contrast! For captions, white text on a black highlight is the standard for a reason. 
• If for any reason you’re using strobe effects or flashing lights, include a warning please. Such effects can cause adverse reactions in viewers, and it’s only fair they have an idea of what they’re getting into. 

And there you have it — our go-to tips for social media accessibility that help create a more inclusive experience for all users. In our book, that’s a win-win. What else would you add?