Social Media

Make sure to thoroughly research the platform before committing to using it in the long term. 

Many platforms have information on their website(s) about accessibility – regarding the accessibility of the website itself and sometimes tips for users on how to create posts that are accessible. For example:

• Instagram Accessibility
• X (formerly Twitter) Accessibility 
• Facebook Accessibility
• TikTok Accessibility

We encourage you to explore these tools on your own. Each platform has different features and ways of applying the following guidelines; so, we do not explain each one in detail in this guide. In your exploration, make sure the platform provides you with the ability to create accessible posts, or at least has some workarounds. Some platforms make it easier for you than others; e.g., some can autogenerate captions and alt text that you can then modify for accuracy, have text-to-speech features you can add to your video, etc.

Also, keep up-to-date with news on the platform as they add new (or remove) accessibility features.

Know that many screen readers will by default read your posts according to the textbook grammar of the language. For example, when a screen reader² encounters:

• a period, it will likely assume it is the end of a sentence. 
• a comma or a dash, it will likely pause for a moment before continuing. 
• a capitalized letter, it will likely assume it is a new word.
• a # symbol, it will likely say “number” or “pound” instead of “hashtag”

For this reason, we recommend you:

• Stick with standard uses of punctuation when possible (e.g., periods, exclamation points, dashes, currency symbols, etc.). If you use punctuation to convey something visually or creatively different from those standard language rules, the message may come across differently than you intend to screen reader users.
• Use simple formatting. For example, avoid using spaces and returns to simulate columns and interesting layouts, as your text will likely not be read in a logical order.

Describe acronyms and abbreviations or do not use them at all, so that your message is clear to the largest number of people.

When using emojis, links, and hashtags, we recommend limiting yourself to only one or two of each in a single post. Using too many of these in one post may result in a negative experience for many learners, especially those who use screen readers. The screen reader will read them aloud, but not necessarily in the way you intended.

In addition, remember to:

• Only add emojis, links, and hashtags to the end of the post, not the middle. If these are in the middle of a post, the screen reader may cut off sentences and/or convey a confusing message to the learner. 
• Use camel case (i.e., capitalize each word) for hashtags, instead of all lowercase or all caps. Since there are no spaces between the words, CamelCase is the best method for making hashtags readable to the majority of people. 

For example, #ActiveLearning is easier to read for most than #activelearning or #ACTIVELEARNING. 

• Use descriptive text for links, instead of the full URL or generic phrases.

For example, use Cornell University instead of https://www.cornell.edu/ or generic phrases like More Information.

The same guidelines for links found in this guide also apply to links in social media posts: Accessible Links.

There are many types of images posted on social media; however, a requirement for all of them is providing accurate alternative text (i.e., alt text). For more information on this, consult Alternative Text.

Note that alternative text for images is vital for some and should be used as directed in this guide. We strongly discourage attempting to use alternative text as a joke and/or in a way that doesn’t describe the image. Review this BBC article on Click here: Twitter alt text meme that isn’t funny for blind people.

The guidelines for videos on social media are the same as those in courses, as described in the Recorded Video section of this guide. However, here are some tips that are particularly relevant to the social media space:

• Stick with a simple design and formatting for captions. 

On social media, captions³ may be closed or open, depending on what is available on the social media platform you are using. This makes it possible for users to try to be creative – using multiple fonts or colors, having the captions move around the screen or other animations, using ALL CAPS, etc. While these design choices may look more interesting, they can reduce the readability and overall experience for learners who rely on those captions. 

• Use descriptive audio, such as narration, dialogue, or autogenerated text-to-speech. 

Videos without descriptive audio are common on social media platforms. These videos may only have text on the screen or just background music. Unfortunately, this means if a learner cannot see the screen (e.g., those who are blind, Blind or have low vision), they will not be able to perceive that video at all. So, use some form of descriptive audio when possible, such as narration, dialogue, or (if available) autogenerated text-to-speech. If none of these options are possible, providing a text description of the video alongside the video in the same post may suffice.

• Disable autoplay, if possible.

Some platforms have video players that play automatically when someone clicks on a link and loads the page. Try to disable this setting because the audio in the video can overlap with that of a screen reader, interfering with comprehension of your content. Some platforms have the audio muted by default, but it is safer to disable this setting anyway if the platform gives the option.

• Provide a transcript of any audio-only clips (e.g., an audio clip without video – such as a podcast.) 
• In addition, follow the guidelines from Recorded Audio.

You may want to use effects and filters, animated gifs, etc. Flashing lights and other animations (depending on speed, hue, brightness, and other factors) can be distracting, cause migraines, or even trigger seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy; so, we encourage you to:

• use animations and effects sparingly and strategically
• provide a warning before posting if you have concerns about the animations, effects or filters

Note that some social media platforms give users the ability to filter out posts that contain effects and filters that could trigger seizures or migraines, but it is still best to exercise caution as you create posts or curate posts for learners. In addition, this feature likely can only filter out posts that use effects and filters created by the platform itself; it likely cannot determine if the video was edited with animations and effects outside of the platform.

Often you cannot control how others will post or whether they follow accessibility guidelines. However, you can control how informed your learners are of the accessibility guidelines and encourage them to keep them in mind if they are posting on social media as part of the assignment. 

On the other hand, if the assignment includes just browsing existing posts then they will likely encounter many accessibility issues. This is why it is important to think carefully and anticipate potential barriers for some learners if you are choosing to use social media as part of a class assignment. 

Will all learners be able to successfully complete the assignment using social media? Even if you don’t have current learners with barriers, we encourage you to plan for the possibility that learners in future semesters will encounter barriers. So, can you design the assignment now in a way to ensure these barriers can be overcome? 

For example, you can make it a group assignment instead where there are several different roles that students can choose from, related to the subject matter and/or a real-world environment, and only one or two roles require using social media. That person could be responsible for delivering the result/information/data to the rest of the group. Other roles could include analyzing, writing different aspects of a report, creating charts and graphs, reporting to the class, etc.