Justin Romack

“Can You Do It in the Dark?”: Making Your Social Media Accessible – #UAD3

Chris D’Orso and Justin Romack

Presentation Downloads

What is accessibility?

Accessibility is the ability for people with disabilities to use, obtain, and interact with information and resources with the same, or a relatively similar, ease of use.

Our aim should be “inclusivity,” not just “accessibility.” It’s not about creating a separate experience, but developing solutions for people of all abilities to access the world in the same manner.

Who is impacted by accessible social media content?

Lindsay and guide dog Quigley dressed in Aggie maroon while posing on a bridge.
“VoiceOver has totally changed how I use social media and the web!” – Lindsay
Cruz playing rugby with two of his opponents approaching.
“Everyone deserves the chance to enjoy and be inspired by content.” – Cruz
Ben dressed in a suit jacket.
“If it looks complicated I probably will just skip it.” – Ben

Examples of Accessibility in Social Media

Alternative text descriptions

Alt text for the above image reads: A photo of a student studying in the UA Little Rock library next to some large windows. Outside, a scene of the desert planet Jakku from Star Wars can be seen where space ships are shooting at each other.

Alt text for the above image reads: Photo of Aggies walking on campus with umbrellas on a rainy day.

Captioned Videos

Audio Description

So what can you do about it?

Tip #1: Learn how to make awesome alt text.

Tip #2: Get your captions and transcripts correct.

Tip #3: Add audio description for videos and broadcasts.

Tip #4: Check your contrast, too.

Tip #5: Avoid dense, overly verbose content.