Digital Accessibility

Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5200 USA

Social Media

Accessible social media content ensures that everyone can engage with content shared through official Western Michigan University accounts, regardless of disability or access method. All WMU-produced or distributed social media content must meet the University’s adopted accessibility standard across platforms and formats, including posts, images, videos, stories, ads, and shared content. Use the resources on this page to learn how to create accessible social media content.

Who is responsible?

  • Anyone who manages or edits Western social media content, including account owners, content editors, and communicators for official social media accounts within their college, unit or department.
  • Vendors and partners who create content on the University’s behalf.
  • Marketing administrators who set standards, provide training, and monitor compliance.

What standards do you need to meet?

All social media content must comply with the required WCAG 2.1 AA standards. These guidelines are referenced in WMU’s Web Accessibility Policy and in the ADA Title II federal regulations.

What to do? (Checklist)

Use the following best practices to help ensure your social media posts are accessible to all users.

General guidelines

  1. Alt text: Briefly describe the image’s purpose; don’t repeat post text.
  2. Audio description: Add narration for essential visuals not spoken in the video.
  3. Closed captions: User-toggle captions; upload an SRT when the platform supports it.
  4. Open captions: Always-on captions embedded in the video when the platform does not host caption files.
  5. Color contrast: Meet at least 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text; check with a color contrast checker.
  6. Emojis: Use sparingly; avoid long strings that screen readers must read one by one.
  7. GIFs: Avoid looping animations without pause controls and any flashing content; ensure text in GIFs has sufficient contrast.
  8. Hashtags: Use CamelCase for multiword tags (e.g., #BroncoPride).
  9. Plain language: Use short sentences, active voice and familiar words.
  10. Special characters: Limit decorative symbols; some are misread by screen readers.

Facebook

  1. Images: Although Facebook automatically adds alt text, it is very often inaccurate, and we recommend editing the autogenerated alt text. You can do this by clicking "options" on the photo and choosing "change alt text."
  2. Videos: You can add captions by uploading SRT files. Alternatively, you can use the auto-generated captions created by Facebook, but make sure to edit the auto-generated captions to ensure they are accurate.
  3. Live events: It is important to provide live captions whenever possible. If it is not possible to have captions as the event is proceeding, provide captions as soon as possible after the event.
  4. Text: Use plain language, CamelCase hashtags (#BroncoPride), and descriptive links (avoid "click here").

Facebook accessibility

Instagram

  1. Images: Add custom alt text on every photo. Don’t rely only on Instagram’s automatic alt text—override it with a concise description of the image’s purpose.
  2. Videos: Turn on and review captions for Reels and videos. Enable captions in the post or app settings and fix transcription errors before publishing.
  3. Stories: Use the Captions sticker for Stories. Auto-generate subtitles, then edit the text for accuracy before you post.
  4. Graphics: Avoid text-only graphics. If text appears in an image (e.g., a flyer), repeat the key info in the post caption for screen-reader access and translation.

Instagram accessibility

LinkedIn

  1. Images: You can add alt text to photos by choosing "add alt text" after uploading. If you don’t add alt text, LinkedIn may automatically generate it after you post. You can edit that text anytime.
  2. Videos: Add captions by uploading an SRT file. Uploading via mobile does not allow for captions.

LinkedIn accessibility

Tiktok

  1. Images: Add alt text to photo posts. Write custom alt text during upload or after publishing; don’t rely only on AI alt text.
  2. Videos: Use creator captions when filming. Tap Captions on the preview screen to generate subtitles, then style and edit as needed. Turn on auto-captions and edit them. Select the caption language, post the video, then tap the captions to fix errors for accuracy.
  3. Settings: Leverage Accessibility settings. Use TikTok's accessibility page (e.g., contrast toggle, bold text support) to improve readability and navigation.

TikTok accessibility

Vimeo

  1. Videos: Captions, subtitles and transcripts built in. Creators can upload SRT/WebVTT in multiple languages; viewers toggle captions via CC and can search transcripts in the player.
  2. Settings: Multi-audio tracks supported. Add descriptive audio, alternate languages or commentary tracks to the same video.

Vimeo accessibility

X (formerly Twitter)

  1. Images: Add alt text to every photo, GIF and chart so screen-reader users get the context.
  2. Videos: Turn on auto-captions, then fix errors; on the web you can also upload an SRT file for cleaner results.
  3. Text: Make text easy to parse by use plain language, CamelCase hashtags (#BroncoPride), and descriptive links (avoid "click here").

X accessibility

YouTube

  1. Images and graphics: Use large, high-contrast visuals and add concise alt text or describe on-screen text in the post.
  2. Video: Provide edited captions and include a brief audio description when key visuals aren’t spoken.
  3. Text: Keep on-screen text short and plain, and use the description to summarize and link resources.
  4. Audio: Record with a good mic, keep volume consistent and avoid music or effects that compete with speech.
  5. Structure and navigation: Add chapter markers with timestamps so viewers can jump to sections.

YouTube accessibility