UMass Boston

Social Media Accessibility

Social media connects us with friends, family, colleagues, and students. When you make your posts accessible, you help everyone engage with your content, including people with disabilities, those using mobile devices, and people with slow internet connections.

Add Alt Text to Images

Images make your posts more engaging, but people who are blind or have low vision will miss this information unless you add text descriptions. 

Alt text is a description of your image that screen readers can read aloud. Most platforms make adding alt text easy:

  • Instagram: Tap Advanced Settings when creating a post, then select Write Alt Text
  • X (formerly Twitter): Click Add description when uploading an image
  • Facebook: After adding a photo, click Edit and then Alternative Text
  • LinkedIn: Click Add alt text after uploading an image 

Good alt text is brief but descriptive. Focus on what is important in the image. Learn more about how to write effective alt text. 

Caption Videos and Audio

Many people watch videos without sound or rely on captions to understand the content. Adding captions helps everyone:

  • Instagram: You can add auto-generate captions to Reels and Stories
  • Facebook: Upload your video, then select Edit Video and Captions
  • Linkedin: Follow the steps in their accessibility features guide 
  • Youtube: Videos can have auto-captions. Best practice is to review and edit captions for accuracy. Consider also providing a transcript for longer videos or podcasts.

Use Clear Language

Write in plain language that’s easy to understand. Avoid complicated words, acronyms, and jargon when possible. This helps everyone understand your message.

Add Descriptive Links

When sharing links, add context about where the link goes. Avoid posting bare URLs or using phrases like “click here” without context. 

Learn More About Social Media Accessibility

Creating Accessible Social Media Content

For further exploration on four of the most frequented social media platforms, please review their accessibility pages below. If the platform you're using is represented here, you can easily locate accessibility pages by doing an internet search on the platform name and ‘accessibility’.