Read on Twitter
Please stop doing this on social media. Please.
I get it, there are character limitations and you’re also trying to stay on-brand while making an important statement, but this practice isn’t accessible. All this flattened copy can’t be read by a screen reader. #Accessibility
I get it, there are character limitations and you’re also trying to stay on-brand while making an important statement, but this practice isn’t accessible. All this flattened copy can’t be read by a screen reader. #Accessibility
Instead, choose a short snippet from your statement and use that for the graphic. Add alt text to it. Link out from your post in the written part to a webpage that has your full statement in readable format.
Learn more about posting accessible images at https://therealalexa.com/images .
Learn more about posting accessible images at https://therealalexa.com/images .
Any graphics you make for social media posts should be treated like billboards: you have limited space, time, and characters to get your message across.
Same rule applies to event flyers!
Stop posting your event flyers online. Stop asking social media professionals to post your event flyers online. None of this is accessible OR actionable. Heck, it’s not even an ideal orientation for most social media platforms.
Stop posting your event flyers online. Stop asking social media professionals to post your event flyers online. None of this is accessible OR actionable. Heck, it’s not even an ideal orientation for most social media platforms.
Just like with the long written statement, do something concise for your visual instead. A nice image or a graphic with very minimal copy work.
Make sure you add alt text to your image. Link to a webpage with full details about your event in the written part of your post.
Make sure you add alt text to your image. Link to a webpage with full details about your event in the written part of your post.
If you choose to use a graphic to accompany your event post on social media and you put your event details in the written part of the post AND your short graphic, you don’t need to duplicate that copy in your alt text, but make sure that your alt text makes that clear!
In this example my written tweet would be something like “Come to our Cool Event happening on March 10th, 2021 at 10:49 AM CST in Chicago! RSVP at [insert link].” My alt text would be “promotional graphic for event happening on March 10th”. I don’t need to totally repeat myself.
![In this example my written tweet would be something like “Come to our Cool Event happening on March 10th, 2021 at 10:49 AM CST in Chicago! RSVP at [insert link].” My alt text would be “promotional graphic for event happening on March 10th”. I don’t need to totally repeat myself.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EtvFmNlXAAQffGJ.jpg "In this example my written tweet would be something like “Come to our Cool Event happening on March 10th, 2021 at 10:49 AM CST in Chicago! RSVP at [insert link].” My alt text would be “promotional graphic for event happening on March 10th”. I don’t need to totally repeat myself.")
And just in case anyone is concerned or feels like being snarky, each graphic and image I used in this thread has alt text on it that makes it clear that I’m using them for accessibility examples.
One last example since there are apparently a lot of people reading this thread now, which is awesome.
I know a lot of people run popular weekly Twitter chats now. That’s great! Make sure that your question cards are accessible.
I know a lot of people run popular weekly Twitter chats now. That’s great! Make sure that your question cards are accessible.
If you make graphics for your questions, the easiest way to make them accessible is by making sure your question is in the written part of your tweet and then adding short alt text to the graphic indicating it’s the graphic for question number whatever.
So basically for this example, my tweet would be:
Question 1: What should people be doing to ensure that their images on social media are accessible? #TwitterChat
And my alt text would be: graphic for question number one.
Question 1: What should people be doing to ensure that their images on social media are accessible? #TwitterChat
And my alt text would be: graphic for question number one.
In this scenario you don't need to repeat yourself, which you’re basically doing if you write your question in the written part of your tweet AND the alt text of your graphic because a screen reader will hear just hear your question twice if you do that.
But the graphic still needs alt text to avoid any confusion, otherwise a screen reader user will just hear “image, landscape” and be left wondering what the heck the image was that you tweeted. #Accessibility
Everyone has my permission and full endorsement to throw this thread at any brands, organizations, or elected officials who break these rules. Educate them! Just be polite about it.
