Social media has become an integral part of our lives, connecting us with friends, family, and communities. However, navigating these platforms can often be challenging for individuals with disabilities. Creating accessible social media content can be a strategic way to reach a wider audience while fostering a more welcoming online community.
This two-part blog series will explore practical tips for creating accessible social media content, covering topics like fonts, color contrast, hashtags, images, memes, videos, and more. The goal is to provide a checklist to help you create the most accessible social media content.
Let’s get started.
Design Elements
Accessible Fonts — Using accessible fonts can improve the clarity and comprehension of your text for everyone. Serif and sans-serif fonts are generally preferred for their accessibility, although they may offer slightly better readability. Some accessible fonts to choose from include:
- Verdana (sans serif)
- Tahoma (sans serif)
- Arial (sans serif)
- Georgia (serif)
- Book Antiqua (serif)
Color Contrast—The same success criteria, SC 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA), that applies to your HTML pages and digital documents also applies to graphics and images of text posted on social media. The minimum contrast between the foreground and background is 4.5:1. The easiest way to ensure proper contrast is to use dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background. For example,
Hashtags —Before we discuss how to make hashtags accessible , I want to provide a brief refresher on their work.
"A hashtag consists of words or phrases (with no spaces), preceded by a # sign (i.e. #SBW13 or #StanleyCup) that is used to tie various social media posts together and relate them to a topic. Hashtags let you add context to a post and show that it’s a part of a larger discussion." "By clicking on a hashtag in a social post, that social network will automatically curate and display a feed of other messages also incorporating the same hashtag." ~ How to Use Hashtags in Your Social Media Marketing, Constant Contact
To make hashtags accessible to screen readers and easier to read for everyone, you need to format them in Camel case or Pascal case. The main distinction between these two formatting styles lies in capitalizing the first word. Camel case doesn't capitalize the first word, while Pascal case does. For example:
- Camel case: a ccessibilityForAll
- Pascal case: A ccessibilityForAll
There is some discussion / debate over the "labels" for these two styles. In some circles, Camel case is synonymous with Pascal case.
Listen to how a screen reader reads hashtags:
Regardless of whether you use Camel case or Pascal case or those two styles are synonymous for you, every time you use a hashtag on every social media platform you visit, #useMixedCase and #MakeYourHashtagsAccessible
Written Content
Acronyms —Although shorter text and acronyms can sometimes be easier to process for some people, they can also confuse people with learning disabilities or cognitive difficulties, those unfamiliar with the specific field or topic, or those for whom English is a second language.
Here are a few best practices to remember when using acronyms:
- Use acronyms sparingly.
- Define your acronyms - Always define your acronym the first time it is used. For example, "as soon as possible, ASAP."
- Always prioritize clarity. If you're not sure everyone will understand your acronym, err on the side of clarity and write out the full term.
Special Characters —Anything not considered a letter or a number is a special character. Characters like exclamation marks, "at" symbols, dollar signs, ampersands, backslashes, square brackets, tilde, percent, single, and double quotes. All are considered to be special characters.
While special characters are essential for proper punctuation and grammar, their misuse can lead to misunderstandings. Excessive use, incorrect placement, and decorative use can make the text more difficult to read. Moreover, custom fonts and fancy symbols can present challenges for readers with visual impairments, learning disabilities, screen reader users, or language barriers.
ASCII art is one of the biggest offenders. Often called "text art," ASCII art is a form of text-based art created by arranging special characters to form images or pictures.
Listen to this screen reader as it "reads" ASCII art:
Applicable WCAG - Success Criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) - technique H86: Providing text alternatives for ASCII art, emoticons, and leetspeak
Inclusive Language —The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) defines inclusive language as "language that acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities."
Inclusive language recognizes "that words matter and that word choice can be used, intentionally or unintentionally, to include or exclude others. Using inclusive language communicates with people in a way that is respectful and brings everyone into the conversation." ~ What is Inclusive Language in the Workplace? Examples, Steps, & Strategies, workhuman*
The American Psychological Association (APA) offers an Inclusive Language Guide with general terms related to equity and power, a chart with person-first and identity-first language terms to avoid, and suggested alternatives.
Just as you have learned to check what you write for spelling, grammar, and wordiness, practice reading your work for bias. ~ Bias-Free Language , APA Style
Use Plain Language — Simple, easy-to-read social media content is better for everyone. This includes people with cognitive disabilities and those who don't speak English as their first language. Keep sentences short and paragraphs simple.
When information, instructions, and ideas are written in plain language:
- You reach a wider audience.
- You lessen the chance that your message will be misunderstood.
- Instructions can be fully understood and followed correctly.
- Reading is easier for anyone who is tired, distracted, under stress, or working outside of one's first language - as well as those with low literacy skills and cognitive and learning disabilities.
For more on using plain language, see the blog post " Give it to Me Straight! - The Power of Plain Language."
Part two of this blog series will examine best practices for making images, memes, animated gifs, videos, and other social media elements more accessible.
Look for "Social Media & AllY - Part 2: Images & Videos" on Sept. 12, 2024.
