Making social media content accessible ensures everyone—including users who are blind, low vision, Deaf, hard of hearing, or have cognitive or motor disabilities—can participate fully in online conversations. This fosters community, reduces legal risk, and expands your audience reach. Most importantly, it’s the right thing to do.
Key Principles for Managing Accessible Social Media
Add Alt Text to Images
Every photo or graphic should include descriptive alternative text so screen readers can convey meaning to users who can’t see images. Disability:IN’s accessibility guide offers a great overview of how to write clear, effective alt text.
Caption and Transcribe Videos
Videos should always have captions for Deaf and hard-of-hearing users, and audio content should include transcripts. Tools like Metricool’s accessibility checklist provide practical tips for ensuring your video content reaches everyone.
Use CamelCase for Hashtags
Capitalize each word in multiword hashtags (for example, #DigitalInclusion) to make them easier for assistive technologies to read. The University of Virginia’s social media accessibility guide explains how small formatting tweaks like this can improve accessibility.
Limit Emojis and Decorative Fonts
Using too many emojis or nonstandard fonts can confuse assistive tech. Stick with standard Unicode emojis and platform fonts for clarity. Harvard’s accessibility recommendations for social media provide a helpful reference for maintaining readability.
Choose High-Contrast Visuals
Graphics, infographics, and memes should always maintain strong color contrast for legibility. You can find color contrast tips and examples in Metricool’s accessibility article.
Write in Plain Language
Simple, direct posts are easier for everyone to understand—including users with cognitive or learning disabilities. Northeastern University’s IT Services recommends writing in plain language to ensure your message is clear and inclusive.
Describe Links Clearly
Avoid generic phrases like “click here.” Instead, make your links descriptive—such as “See our full accessibility guide.”
Avoid Flashing Content
Rapid flashing or strobing visuals can trigger seizures in some viewers. Always avoid these effects or provide adequate warnings and alternatives.
Use Content Warnings
For sensitive topics, include a short content warning to give users control over their experience.
Platform-Specific Accessibility Features
Each social platform offers its own accessibility tools. Here are the essentials to enable as you publish—and if you want a deeper walkthrough, see UVA’s guide to accessible social media.
- Accessibility resources: Facebook maintains an Accessibility Support page.
- Alt text for images: Add descriptive alt text so screen reader users can understand your visuals.
X (formerly Twitter)
- Alt text: Provide clear descriptions for images.
- Captions: Ensure all videos include accurate captions.
- GIF labels: Label GIFs or add descriptive copy to clarify motion and context.
- Alt text & sticker captions: Add alt text to images and use sticker captions in Stories.
- Auto captions: Turn on auto-captioning for videos, then review and edit for accuracy.
- Alt text for images: Add descriptive text when uploading photos so screen reader users understand the visuals.
- Captions for videos: Upload caption files (SRT format) to make videos accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
- Hashtag readability: Use CamelCase in hashtags for better screen reader pronunciation.
- Post formatting: Keep paragraphs short and avoid decorative fonts or emoji strings that disrupt screen readers.
YouTube and Vimeo
- Auto captions with manual edits: Start with auto-generated captions, then edit for correctness and timing.
- Custom caption files: Upload your own caption tracks to ensure quality.
How A11Y Pros Can Help
A11Y Pros guides organizations in building accessible marketing strategies and trains teams to implement best practices across all digital channels. Our experts monitor accessibility trends, legal updates, and platform changes so you don’t have to.
Ready to make your social presence truly inclusive?
Contact A11Y Pros for an accessibility audit or custom social media workshop—let’s build a digital space where everyone belongs.