Accessibility for Social Media

Social Media has become an integral part of our daily lives, connecting us to people, information, and resources across the world. On this page, we explore how to make social media platforms more inclusive and accessible to all users, providing tips and resources for creating content that is easy to understand and engage.

Tips

  • Use descriptive alt text for images: Alt text is an alternative text description of images that is read aloud by screen readers for visually impaired users. It is important to provide descriptive alt text to ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can understand the content of your post.
  • Use clear and simple language: Avoid using complex jargon or language that may be difficult to understand. Instead, use clear and concise language that is easy to read and comprehend.
  • Avoid using all caps: Writing in all capital letters can be difficult to read and can be perceived as shouting. Use proper capitalization instead.
  • Use captions for videos: Captions provide a text-based alternative for the audio content in videos. This is particularly important for deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers.
  • Avoid using flashing or rapidly changing content: Rapidly changing or flashing content can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy.
  • Use proper colour contrast: Use a high-contrast colour scheme to ensure that text is easily readable, particularly for visually impaired users.
  • Use hashtags to increase accessibility: Using relevant hashtags can make your content more accessible and discoverable to a wider audience.

ALT-Text for Social media

To ensure everyone receives the same information contained in a post, alternative text (alt-text) is included to provide a description of the image. The alternative text is read to users through an assistive device, called a screen reader.

  • Keep content to 2 sentences whenever possible.
  • Describe only the pertinent information within the image. Descriptive elements (clothing, colour of hair, race) should not be included unless it is key to the image that supports the content.
  • Describe the content of the image without editorialising.
  • Never start with “Image of” or “Picture of”.
  • Do not use a list of keywords as alt-text.
  • A “decorative item” does not provide any content or information.  Examples are a border, decorative header, or repetitive logo.
  • If the image contains a well-known person, location, event, or historical event, you can include this information in the alt-text.

Closed captions

Adding closed captions to social media content is a simple but effective way to increase accessibility, inclusivity, engagement, and comprehension. Visit the closed captioning page to learn how.

Emojis

While emojis can add personality and tone to social media content, using too many can make it difficult for users with visual impairments to understand the message. Try to use emojis sparingly and only when they add value to the content. For a list emojis visit emojipedia.org.

Hashtags

Hashtags are a powerful tool on social media that can help users discover and engage with content that is relevant to their interests. When using multi-word hashtags, use camel case to make them more accessible for screen readers. For example, instead of using #socialmedia, use #SocialMedia.