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Social Media Accessibility
Alternative text is a textual substitute for non-text content in web pages. See our Guide to creating a great alt text
It is important to note that Instagram stories do not provide a means of providing alt-text on images at this time. One alternative would be to provide an audio description of what is being shown on the screen.
Captions are on-screen text descriptions that display a video's dialogue, identify speakers, and describe other relevant sounds that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Captions are synchronized with the video image so that viewers have equivalent access to the content that is originally presented in sound, regardless of whether they receive that content via audio or text. Captions are either open or closed.
Open captions always are embedded into the video and as result is always in view and cannot be turned off. Closed captions is added to the metadata of the video via a .SRT or .VTT file (which the player then adds to the video as an overlay on top of the video). These typically can be turned on and off by the viewer.
Closed captions, being a separate file, isn't always shared as the video is shared. We recommend using open captioning solutions, as those remain on the video regardless of how the video is shared within and outside of the video platform (i.e cross posting to instagram and facebook).
It's important to note that Auto-captions are about 80% accurate, and should there be a d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing Individual, this may not be suitable as an accommodation.
- CapCut | Free with paid upgrades
There are a number of free video editors. One of the more popular tools is called CapCut, which allows you to upload your video, auto caption the audio, allow you edit the text and stlye of those captions, and then saves it as new video file with those captions embedded into the video. See above video for instructions. All of these features are available in the free version and these videos can be shared to any video hosting platform.
- TikTok Video Captioning instructions
- Instagram Video Captioning instructions
- Facebook Video Captioning instructions
Both TikTok and Instgram provide ways to embed and edit captions to videos. Facebook only allow you to upload a .SRT file on the desktop application. There isn't a way of adding captions on the mobile applications.
- Facebook Live Captions
- Instagram Live Captions - Captions are provided via the user end switching on auto-generated captions for all content.
The two most important rules about color contrast are:
- Do not rely solely on color to convey meaning
- Ensure that there is adequate contrast between foreground and background colors
Color contrast ratio is defined as the ratio between the brightest color to that of the darkest color with the highest ratio being black to white.
The size of your text is just as important as the font being used in your content. According to WCAG 2.0 AA standards, text should be 12pt or larger. Keep in mind that size among fonts are not always equal and 12 pt. in one font may appear smaller than 12 pt. in a different font.
For users with a visual impairment, reading disability, or learning disability, certain letters or combinations of letters can be confusing due to the lack of defining characteristics. Because of this, it is important to choose fonts that have strong and unique characters. Some recommendations are to use Sans Serif fonts such as Arial as letters can appear less crowded. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothis, Calibiri, and Open Sans.
Some content with flashing, blinking, flickering or rapidly changing colors can cause seizures in susceptible individuals. The best practice is to avoid using any content that flashes, flickers or rapidly changes color, but if the content is necessary, make sure it adheres to the following rules:
- It does not flash more than three times in one second.
- It is below the general flash and red flash thresholds.
Flash thresholds are different for each color; people are more affected by red flashes than any other color.