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.

Instagram

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

Facebook

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.

Instagram

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

Facebook

  1. Click Pages in the left menu on the Newsfeed page

  2. Go to your Page.

  3. Click Photo/Video at the top of your Page's timeline

  4. Click Subtitles & Captions(CC) in the column on the right after uplaoding your video

  5. Select whether you'd like to auto-generate captions, write them yourself or upload a SubRip (.srt) file.

  6. Click Next

  7. 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