Facebook is the original social media platform and set the stage for other platforms. It is used by a variety of people, from kids to centenarians. 47% of the world's population is using Facebook, and with 15% of people living with a disability, there are 3.85 million reasons to ensure your content is accessible! Facebook has implemented several strategies to improve accessibility, but there are many things that you can also do to help.
Facebook Accessibility Best Practices
So how do you make your content accessible?
- Add captions or alt-text
- If you run a Facebook Page, Facebook will create automatic captions and alt-text for your videos and images; however, it is computer-generated and is not always accurate. To ensure your message is getting across, edit your captions and alt-text. Please see the link in the menu on the right on how to edit FB captions. If you are using a personal Facebook page, you will need to create your own captions to upload. Instructions can also be found in the menu on the right.
- Use CamelCase
- CamelCase is the art of writing Hashtags with the first letter of each word with a capital. It makes it easier for everyone, especially those with a learning disorder and those using a screenreader.
- Ensure that your message is clear, free of typos and logical.
- This helps everyone, especially those with a learning disorder.
- Make sure there is enough contrast, if you are adding words over an image.
- Infographics, the photos you see with text on top are problematic for many people. If you have the option not to use it, that would be best. If you do need to share it, ensure that this text has also been added to the alt-text as screen readers often don't recognize this as text.
- Provide a descriptive video narration and captions or ASL of your live stream.
- There are a few ways to make your live stream video accessible, depending on the context. If you are creating a video of a meeting or lecture, including an ASL interpreter or live captions would be an option. If you live streaming jumping out of a plane, the ASL interpreter may not enjoy coming with you, and providing those captions later would be the best bet. While you are recording your video, giving context to your surroundings helps visually impaired individuals understand the setting of your video. In the sky diving example, if the person jumping were to narrate that they are about to jump out of a plane before they start screaming, it would make a lot more sense than a video with just someone screaming on their way down (I at least would be screaming)!
Adding these best practices into your Facebook posting workflow will ensure your content is available to all readers.
References
Zephoria - Facebook Statistics
World Health Organization - World Report on Disability
