The following is a primer on making your social media posts, including videos and images, accessible. For guidance on creating accessible content from the beginning, visit our Design for Accessibility page, which covers topics like color contrast and other accessibility principles.
MU leverages social media for engagement, fostering connections, and communicating emergencies. Using accessibility features on social media platforms is crucial for ensuring posts are accessible, alongside creating accessible content from the outset.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has made a significant update to ADA Title II, which promises to enhance the digital experience for our constituents. As university staff responsible for digital content creation and social media management, you play a crucial role in implementing the updated rule. This includes adopting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Levels A and AA, and ensuring these requirements are met across our websites, apps, digital documents, and media content. Your commitment to this cause will ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can fully engage with our content.
To make social media posts accessible, utilize accessibility features on social media platforms.
Social Media
Accessibility Features
Platform Resources
Facebook’s Automatic Alt Text (AAT) technology provides automatic descriptions for images you upload or post. However, these descriptions may not always be accurate. You can edit the alt text to provide a precise description, ensuring users of screen readers have equal access to the information.
Instagram uses object recognition technology and computer-vision AI to automatically generate descriptions for pictures. Screen readers or alternative output devices can read these auto-generated descriptions. You can improve the description by editing the alt text for images.
X
X does not automatically create alternative text for images. To ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, you must manually add image descriptions (alternative text).
YouTube
Closed captions enable hard-of-hearing or deaf users to engage with YouTube content. When posting videos or video shorts, YouTube automatically generates captions. These automatic captions typically require significant editing, so it’s important to review and finalize captions before publishing any video, regardless of its length or the quality of the output.
On LinkedIn, you can add alternative text (alt-text) to images that you share in your feed or embed in articles. This helps members using screen readers comprehend the image’s content.
Additional Resources
Explore the resources below for additional information and assistance.
- Accessibility Advisories (Accessible Social)
- General Social Media Accessibility Tips (DigitalGov)