Overview
Social media helps UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) connect with diverse audiences, share information, promote programs, and engage with communities.
Accessible social media content helps ensure that people with disabilities can access and interact with information regardless of platform, device, or assistive technology.
Many social media accessibility practices are simple to implement and can significantly improve the reach and effectiveness of your communications.
Start With Accessible Content
Many accessibility principles that apply to websites, documents, and email also apply to social media.
Before publishing content, review Accessibility Essentials for guidance on:
- Plain language and readability
- Alternative text
- Color and visual design considerations
- Meaningful links
- Captions and transcripts
Accessibility should be incorporated throughout the content creation process rather than added at the end.
Provide Alternative Text for Images
Many social media platforms allow creators to add alternative text to images.
Alternative text helps users who are blind, have low vision, or use screen readers understand the purpose and content of an image.
Good alternative text:
- Conveys the purpose of the image.
- Describes information that is important to the message.
- Considers the context of the post.
- Remains concise and meaningful.
Avoid:
- Repeating information already provided in the post.
- Including unnecessary visual details.
- Leaving informative images without alternative text.
For additional guidance, review Images & Graphics.
Avoid Images That Contain Important Text
Whenever possible, important information should be included in the post itself rather than embedded within an image.
Examples include:
- Event details
- Registration information
- Dates and deadlines
- Contact information
- Calls to action
Users may be unable to access text presented only within an image.
If text must appear in an image, ensure the same information is also available in the accompanying post.
Caption Video Content
Videos shared on social media should include captions.
Captions help ensure that users who are deaf or hard of hearing can access spoken content.
Captions also benefit:
- Users in noisy environments
- Users watching with sound muted
- Individuals learning in a second language
- Users who prefer reading
Automatically generated captions should be reviewed and corrected for accuracy before publication whenever possible.
For additional guidance, review Video & Multimedia.
Use Camel Case in Hashtags
Multi-word hashtags can be difficult for screen readers to interpret.
Use capital letters at the beginning of each word in a hashtag.
Preferred:
- #DigitalAccessibility
- #AccessibilityMatters
- #UCANR
Less accessible:
- #digitalaccessibility
- #accessibilitymatters
Camel case improves readability for many users and helps screen readers distinguish individual words.
Use Emojis Thoughtfully
Screen readers announce emojis based on their text descriptions.
A post that contains excessive emojis can become difficult to understand when read aloud.
Best practices:
- Use emojis sparingly.
- Place emojis at the end of sentences when practical.
- Avoid using emojis in place of words.
- Avoid long strings of emojis.
The message should remain understandable even without the emoji.
Write Clearly and Concisely
Social media content is often consumed quickly and on mobile devices.
Best practices include:
- Using plain language.
- Keeping messages concise.
- Explaining acronyms when needed.
- Organizing information logically.
- Focusing on the most important information first.
Clear communication improves accessibility and engagement for all audiences.
Avoid Relying on Color Alone
Color should not be the only method used to communicate information.
Examples to avoid:
- Using red and green alone to communicate status.
- Distinguishing categories solely by color.
- Relying on color-coded graphics without labels.
Use text, labels, icons, patterns, or other indicators in addition to color.
This helps ensure information remains accessible to users with color vision deficiencies and low vision.
For additional guidance, review Color & Visual Design.
Create Accessible Graphics
Graphics, infographics, and promotional images should be designed with accessibility in mind.
Consider:
- Sufficient color contrast
- Readable font sizes
- Simple and uncluttered layouts
- Alternative text
- Text alternatives for key information
Whenever possible, important information should be available directly within the post rather than only within a visual asset.
Accessibility Varies by Platform
Accessibility features differ across social media platforms.
Before publishing content:
- Use built-in alternative text features when available.
- Enable and edit captions for videos.
- Review image descriptions.
- Verify content remains understandable without relying on visual formatting.
- Stay informed about accessibility features offered by each platform.
Platform capabilities evolve over time, and accessibility features may change.
Common Mistakes
Common social media accessibility issues include:
- Missing alternative text
- Videos without captions
- Images containing essential text
- Poor color contrast
- Excessive emoji use
- Hashtags that do not use camel case
- Unexplained acronyms
- Reliance on color alone
- Graphics without sufficient context
Addressing these issues helps ensure that content is accessible to a broader audience.
Before Publishing
Before publishing social media content, consider the following questions:
- Does every informative image include alternative text?
- Are videos captioned?
- Is important information available as text?
- Are multi-word hashtags written using camel case?
- Is color used appropriately?
- Is the content understandable without relying on visuals?
- Is the message clear and concise?
Accessibility review should be incorporated into normal social media publishing workflows.
Accessibility Expands Your Reach
Accessible social media helps ensure that information is available to the broadest possible audience.
By incorporating accessibility into everyday social media practices, UC ANR can improve engagement, reduce barriers, and better serve employees, volunteers, partners, and the public.