Accessibility
Social media is a largely visual space and so it's important to keep the aesthetics of graphics in mind. However, to further FBC Youth Program's identity as an inclusive space, it it important to try and make the social media platforms as accessible as possible.
Some common thinking points include:
Is there enough contrast?
Is the text big enough?
Is there too much text?
For more information and guidelines, visit Design Best Practices.
Step 1: Click on Advanced Settings before posting a post
Step 2: Tap on Alternative text
Step 3: Click done after typing out your text
You can only edit alternative text on a computer or IOS device on Facebook.
Step 1: After uploading your photo, click over the paint brush icon "Edit Photo" while hovering over it.
Step 2: Click om Alt Text tab on the edit photo dialog
Step 3: Click on "Override generated alt text"
Step 4: Add your alt text and click save
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning helps provide support to people who are hard of hearing. Subtitles translate dialogue from different languages, but closed captioning provides word for word captions of the original dialogue.
Stories:
Step 1: Record or upload your video to the Instagram Stories section
Step 2: Tap the sticker icon
Step 3: Select "captions" sticker
Step 4: You can now select from four different text formats, move the text and adjust the colour
Note: while not neccessary, you may want to consider providing enough contrast between the video and text to make it easier to read
IGTV:
This process will turn on IGTV auto captioning options for all your IGTV videos, but, you must turn them on from here first.
Step 1: Tap account and go into "Captions"
Step 2: Switch on "auto-generated captions"
Uploading IGTV Video -
Step 1: After uploading a cover photo, tap "advanced settings"
Step 2: Turn on "auto generated captions" and click done
Click Pages in the left menu on the Newsfeed page
Go to your Page.
Click Photo/Video at the top of your Page's timeline
Click Subtitles & Captions(CC) in the column on the right after uplaoding your video
Select whether you'd like to auto-generate captions, write them yourself or upload a SubRip (.srt) file.
Click Next
Click Publish.
Note: Avoid rapid flashing content to prevent triggering epileptic seizures to people with photosensitive epilepsy.
Text/Captions
Screen readers can read unicode emoji graphics but not text based ones.
Camel casing hashtags helps differentiate each word with capitali to prevent it being read out as one long word
#fbcyouthprogram vs #FBCYouthProgram
#beautifulbritishcolumbia vs #BeautifulBritishColumbia
GIFS cannot be read by screen readers since it isn't possible to add alt text.
Images & Videos
At the beginning of movies or TV shows, you can sometimes hear the disclaimer "this program is available with described audio for the visually impaired." Adding image descriptions to social media posts helps convey the information.
Alternative text is usually around one hundred characters
Keep it concise but meaningful.
Alternative text is read by screen readers so to keep it sounding more "human" and authentic, use full stops and commas.
The screen reader will already say what the image is of or what the graphic is of
Don't skip out on context