Creating ADA Compliant Social Media Content

Here are some best practices for creating accessible social media pages and posts:

• Provide contact information on all social media pages, including a phone number and an email address.  
• Social media platforms vary in how information is presented. Posting content on multiple platforms enables individuals to access it in their preferred format.
• Test content for keyboard accessibility.
• Use the built-in accessibility checkers and features of the platform.
• Use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards as the baseline criteria for social media content.
• If the post is not accessible, provide a link to the accessible version and explain the reason for the link.

Accessible content begins with clear, readable writing.

If you include elements that add personality to your document or content, use them thoughtfully.

• Emojis: Place emojis at the end of a social media post when possible. Use them sparingly, and if you include multiple emojis, place a space between each one.
• GIFs: Not all social platforms allow alt text for GIFs. If alt text isn’t available, include a short description of the GIF in brackets at the end of the post.
• Hashtags: Use camelCase or PascalCase for multi-word hashtags to help screen readers properly identify each word. Example: #GovernmentSocialMedia

Alt text allows people who use screen readers to understand the information conveyed in an image. Without alt text, people using assistive technology cannot access the content provided in images.

Best practices

• Include key information in your caption when possible.
• Keep alt text concise and descriptive.
• While 125 characters is common, it’s okay to go longer when necessary.
• Describe the relevant content of the image. The same photo can be used for two different posts because the alt text would convey information related to the content of the post.
• Avoid repeating information already included in the caption.
• There is no need to write “image of” or “picture of”.
• Logos should always include alt text.

Helpful resources

• • Section508.gov alt text guide
  • Sprout Social social media accessibility guide
  • Harvard digital accessibility image description guide

When designing graphics, consider the following accessibility elements:

• Color: Do not rely on color alone to communicate meaning. People with color blindness or low vision may not be able to distinguish certain color combinations.
• Contrast: WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for small text and 3:1 for large text to ensure readability. Use a contrast checker tool like this to verify color combinations.
• Text: Limit text in a graphic as much as possible. If text is added, keep in mind that it will need to be described in the alt text area for the graphic.

Helpful resource:
AccessAbility 2: A Practical Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design

Captions

Captions ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand spoken content in videos. They also help viewers who are watching without sound—something that happens frequently on social media. Captions should accurately reflect spoken dialogue and important sounds within the video.

• Open captions: Open captions are permanently embedded in the video and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Many government communicators choose open captions for social media because they are always visible regardless of platform settings.
• Closed captions: Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer. Most major social platforms support closed captions, though the editing tools vary by platform.
• Auto captions: Many platforms and third-party tools automatically generate captions. While these tools have improved, captions should always be reviewed and corrected by a human to ensure accuracy.

When adding captions to videos:

• Review all auto-generated captions before publishing.
• Ensure captions are easy to read and remain visible throughout the video.
• Maintain sufficient contrast between caption text and the background.
• Consider using a background or text box if the video makes captions difficult to read.
• Captions must include dialogue, important background sounds, (ex. <applause> or <buzzing>) and speaker identification.
• Captions should not exceed three lines on the screen.
• Default size for captions should be 22 pt.
• The last caption frame should be removed during long silent intervals.

Sprout Social has a guide to editing closed captions on social media platforms.

Audio descriptions

Audio descriptions help people with visual disabilities understand visual elements that are not communicated through dialogue. If the audio already communicates the visual information, additional description may not be necessary.

To incorporate audio descriptions into your video:

• Ask speakers to verbally identify themselves instead of only displaying their name on screen.
• Describe important visual details that viewers need to understand the content.

For additional guidance, view the audio description resources available on Section508.gov.

Alternative text (alt text) is a text-based description added to an image that can benefit people who are blind and have low-vision. You can replace this text to provide a better description of a photo. Keep in mind that this description will only be read if someone is using a screen reader to access Facebook.

1. Go to the post, then tap on the photo.
2. Tap  Options in the top right or tap and hold.
3. Tap Edit alt text.
4. You’ll see the automatically generated alt text in bold starting with Image may contain:. Type your alt text in the box, then tap Save.

1. Click Photo/video at the top of your timeline or Feed.
2. Click  Add photos/videos and select a video from your computer.
3. Once your video has uploaded, click Video Options on the video thumbnail.
4. Click Add Captions on the left, then select whether you’d like to auto-generate captions.
5. Click Save, then click Post.

To add captions to an existing video on your Page, find the post on your Page’s timeline, click  Options in the top-right corner, select Edit Post and follow the steps above.

1. Click your video to expand it.
2. Click Options in the top right, then click Edit post.
3. Click Edit from composer, then click Add captions.
4. Click Delete next to the file you want to remove.
5. Click Save.

1. Add an image to your tweet as normal

2. Click on the link that says ‘Add description’

3. Type in your alternative text

4. Click save and continue with your tweet

   When you post your tweet you will see the word ‘alt’ in the corner of your image. This means you’ve added alternative text. You can click on the ‘alt’ link to read alternative text on other tweets too.

Captions need to be added to a video BEFORE posting to Twitter/X.

1. Add an image to your post as normal

2. Click on the button that says ‘Advanced settings’

3. Click the text that says ‘Write alt text’

4. Type in your alternative text

5. Click the tick icon to save and continue with your post

   When you post you won’t be able to see the alternative text, but screen readers will be able to read it out loud.

Instagram doesn’t currently have tools to add a pre-made caption file, but it can autogenerate closed captions. Before you share a video post on Instagram, captions can be controlled from the ‘New post’ or ‘New reel’ screen.