Using plain language in social media posts helps ensure your message is clear and easy to understand for everyone, including people with cognitive disabilities, non-native English speakers, and those quickly scrolling on mobile devices. Clear, straightforward language increases engagement and reduces confusion, making your content more effective and accessible.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 3.1.5: Reading Level.

• Keep sentences short and concise.
• Avoid jargon and complex words; if necessary, provide explanations.

Approximately 2-3 minutes per post.

Using easy-to-read fonts ensures that your social media content is accessible to people with visual impairments, dyslexia, and other reading difficulties. Clear, legible fonts improve comprehension and help all users engage with your message more easily across different devices and screen sizes. This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.4: Resize Text. 

• Use clear, sans-serif fonts for readability.
• Avoid overly decorative or cursive fonts.

Less than 1 minute per post.

Using easy-to-read fonts ensures that your social media content is accessible to people with visual impairments, dyslexia, and other reading difficulties. Clear, legible fonts improve comprehension and help all users engage with your message more easily across different devices and screen sizes. This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.4: Resize Text. 

• Use clear, sans-serif fonts for readability. 
• Avoid overly decorative or cursive fonts.

Less than 1 minute per post.

Using accessible hashtags makes your content easier to read for everyone, including screen reader users and people with cognitive disabilities. This small change improves clarity and ensures your message is understood.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships.

• Use camel case for multi-word hashtags (e.g., #SummerVacation instead of #summervacation).
• Limit the number of hashtags to avoid clutter.

Less than 1 minute for all hashtags within a post.

Using emojis in an accessible way ensures that screen reader users can understand your content without unnecessary interruptions. This practice helps maintain clarity and readability for all audiences while still allowing for expression and tone.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content.

• Use emojis sparingly and place them at the end of sentences.
• Avoid using emojis as a replacement for words.

(Note: Emojis that contain Unicode descriptions are accessible to assistive technology such as screen readers.) 

Less than 1 minute per post. 

Using descriptive hyperlink text helps all users, especially those using screen readers, understand where a link will take them without needing additional context. It improves accessibility and clarity.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose.

• Make sure URLs are linked to meaningful and descriptive text:
  • Instead of pasting the full URL, use text that tells students what the link is about. For example, linking the title of the website or article is much more straightforward than just pasting the URL.
• If you need to include the full URL, keep it unlinked and put it in brackets:
• Avoid using phrases like "click here" in hyperlinks:
  • It’s vague and doesn’t help students understand where the link will take them. Be specific about what they’ll find at the other end of the link. 

Less than 3 minutes for every hyperlink.

Using high contrast colors ensures that text and visuals are easy to see and read for people with low vision, color blindness, or those viewing content in bright environments. High contrast improves overall readability and makes your content more accessible to a wider audience.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast.

• Ensure there is sufficient contrast between text and background colors.
• Make sure your colors meet WCAG AA contrast requirements:
  • Resource: WebAim Color Contrast Checker [https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/]

Less than 5 minutes for every post. 

Including alt text or image descriptions ensures that people who are blind or have low vision can understand the content of images. It ensures everyone has access to the information and helps convey your full message to all users.  This is aligned with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content. 

• Provide descriptive alt text that conveys the essential information of the image.
• Be concise yet descriptive (e.g., "A group of friends having a picnic in a park").
  • To learn more about writing effective alt text we recommend How To Describe Images from Poet Diagram Center. [https://poet.diagramcenter.org/how.html] 

Less than 5 minutes for every image.

Avoiding text within images is important because assistive technology such as screen readers cannot read text that is part of an image, making the information inaccessible to people who are blind or have low vision. It also ensures better readability on small screens.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.5: Images of Text.

• Minimize text in images; instead, include important text in the post description.
• If text is necessary in the image, ensure high contrast and readability and include it in the alt text for image description for the image.

Less than 5 minutes per post.

Including captions for videos ensures that people who are Deaf or hard of hearing can access the spoken content. Captions also benefit viewers in noisy or sound-off environments.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded).

• Provide accurate captions for all spoken content and relevant sounds. 
• Ensure the captions are synchronized with the audio.

Less than 10 minutes per short video.

Describing visual elements in video content ensures that people who are blind or have low vision can fully understand the message, not just the dialogue. Providing visual descriptions, either through audio narration or accompanying text, creates a more accessible experience.  This aligns with WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.5: Audio Description (Prerecorded).  

• Include descriptive narration in the video script to convey key visual information, such as actions, settings, or important on-screen text.
• Add visual descriptions in captions or accompanying text if narration isn't possible, ensuring all essential visual details are conveyed.
• Avoid relying on visuals alone to communicate key messages, reinforce meaning with spoken or written descriptions to ensure accessibility for all viewers.

Less than 10 minutes per short video.