Content Accessibility Standards

I've seen so many posts being shared recognising and celebrating International Day of Persons/ Disabled People. Which is amazing! But sadly the vast majority of the content being shared is inaccessible. A day reflecting on equality and equity, but yet we're creating barriers that Disabled people. It's ironic, on a day of inclusion so many of us are excluded So please, if you are posting make your content accessible! Here are some tips to get you started: Image Description: Content Checklist. Six sections with tips read: 1. Message Body. Write in plain English. Use short paragraphs. Avoid using acronyms and jargon. Left align text where possible. Do not use a font generator, they are inaccessible for screen readers. 2. Images. Add Alt Text. Remember to keep Alt Text short and factual. Add an Image Description. Image Description is more descriptive and includes things like colour, texture, backgrounds etc. Any Text on a graphic or image should have sufficient Colour Contrast. 3. Video. Always use Closed Captions. These should appear at the bottom of a video. Use accessible Sans Serif fonts like Arial, Calibri or Helvetica. Include an audio description to describe what's happening in the video. Always manually check captions. Automated captions aren't always reliable. 4. Emojis & Hashtags. Don't replace words with Emojis. Don't overuse Emojis. Do use Emojis at the end of a sentence. Do use a capital letter for each new word in a hashtag. #camelCase or #PascalCase. 5. Check Colour Contrast here: https://lnkd.in/ecQAWnR4 checker. www.contrastchecker.com. www. userway.org/contrast. https://lnkd.in/exj-tFeV. 6. Add Captions Using:Youtube Online. CapCut Online. Adobe Premier Pro App. MixCaptions App. AutoCap App. Automated Social Media Apps. #DisabilityInclusion #IDPWD #DiversityAndInclusion #Accessibility

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day everyone! It's a great day to remind people, that, accessibility is the responsibility of the whole team, including designers! A couple of things designers can do: - Use sufficient color contrast (text + UI elements) and don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning. - Ensure readable typography: support text resizing, avoid hard-to-read styles, maintain hierarchy. - Make links and buttons clear and distinguishable (label, size, states). - Design accessible forms: clear labels, error help, no duplicate input, document states. - Support keyboard navigation: tab order, skip links, focus indicators, keyboard interaction. - Structure content with headings and landmarks: use proper H1–Hn, semantic order, regions. - Provide text alternatives for images, icons, audio, and video. - Avoid motion triggers: respect reduced motion settings, allow pause on auto-play. - Design with flexibility: support orientation change, allow text selection, avoid fixed-height elements. - Document accessibly and communicate: annotate designs, collaborate with devs, QA, and content teams. Need to learn more? I got a couple of resources on my blog: - A Designer’s Guide to Documenting Accessibility & User Interactions: https://lnkd.in/eUh8Jvvn - How to check and document design accessibility in your mockups: a conference on how to use Figma plugins and annotation kits to shift accessibility left https://lnkd.in/eu8YuWyF - Accessibility for designer: where do I start? Articles, resources, checklists, tools, plugins, and books to design accessible products https://lnkd.in/ejeC_QpH - Neurodiversity and UX: Essential Resources for Cognitive Accessibility, Guidelines to understand and design for Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD https://lnkd.in/efXaRwgF - Color accessibility: tools and resources to help you design inclusive products https://lnkd.in/dRrwFJ5 #Accessibility #ShiftLeft #GAAD

📣 Accessibility Professionals, Bookmark This. My good friend Natalie MacLees from AAArdvark Accessibility just launched something the entire accessibility community has been asking for: 🔍 WCAG in Plain English https://lnkd.in/gYGUM8vR This site breaks down each WCAG success criterion into straightforward, human-readable language; designed specifically for accessibility professionals, content creators, designers, developers, and educators. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Just clarity, context, and community-forward accessibility. ✨ Why it matters: Helps bridge the gap between standards and implementation Makes WCAG digestible for teams outside of dev Encourages shared understanding and accountability Supports real-world conformance, not just checkbox compliance 🙌 Please support Natalie’s work by exploring, bookmarking, and sharing this essential resource. #Accessibility #WCAG #InclusiveDesign #A11y #DigitalInclusion #AccessibilityEducation #PlainLanguage #GracefulWebStudio #DesignWithGrace #AardvarkAccessibility #WCAGinPlainEnglish

Accessibility case study: Spotify When we talk about accessibility leaders in the Nordics, most people think of IKEA. But there’s another name worth celebrating: Spotify. ✨ A few highlights: ▷ Accessible by default: their design system, Encore, has an “Encore x Accessibility” track. Many components come with accessibility built-in, and for edge cases, designers get clear, practical guidance. In other words: devs don’t need to reinvent the wheel — accessibility is baked in. ▷ Guidelines that scale: Spotify even shares their Accessibility Guidelines for Developers openly. They’re structured into “quick wins,” “medium-term wins,” and “intensive wins.” It’s a roadmap teams can actually use, not just a wish list. ▷ Research that listens: when they redesigned Your Library, they didn’t just crunch numbers. They combined quant data (how people use the app) with qual feedback (interviews, beta testing) to understand the “why” behind the struggles. That balance is rare, and it shows in the end product. ▷ Nothing about us without us: Spotify partnered with Fable, a community of people with disabilities, to test their products and shape their upcoming Accessibility Plan. Over 100 people with lived experience gave feedback across vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, and speech. That’s accessibility grounded in reality, not theory. 🚀 Why does this stand out compared to others? Lots of companies are still at the stage of “raising awareness” or “appointing an accessibility officer.” Spotify is already embedding accessibility into the tools, workflows, and research methods that shape their everyday product decisions. That’s the shift: from side project to core practice. ⚠️ Gaps & real-world limits: ▷ Scale + legacy product complexity: large platforms must balance many priorities; rolling out accessibility universally across all surfaces (mobile apps, web players, embedded widgets, third-party integrations) takes time. Public work shows progress but also ongoing work. ▷ Content ecosystem challenges: user-generated content (podcasts, artist uploads, social clips) creates variability — captioning and metadata quality depend heavily on creators and tooling. This is an industry-wide gap, not unique to Spotify. 🔎Lessons for companies: ▷ Start with people, not checklists. Invest in user research with people who actually use assistive tech; let the data drive product choices. ▷ Make accessibility social inside the company. Run regular meetups, internal talks, and learning series so the knowledge spreads beyond a single team. ▷ Partner early with specialists & communities. External partners bring lived experience, accelerate learning, and reduce the risk of misguided solutions. ▷ Plan for content & ecosystem complexity. Where creators supply content, invest in creator tools (easy captioning, templates) and moderation/quality flows. ▷ Measure & be transparent. Track accessibility metrics and be honest about scope and remaining work — transparency builds trust.

Did you know that WCAG color contrast applies to more than just text? Under Success Criterion 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast, user interface components and graphical objects must meet a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 against adjacent colors. This includes buttons, form fields, checkboxes, sliders, and icons, especially those used to convey meaning or trigger actions. If a visual control or icon blends into the background due to insufficient contrast, users with low vision may miss or misinterpret it. To check for this, try using the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker to evaluate your digital content in e-Learning and online courses. Improving contrast for all visual components supports a broader range of users and helps ensure that your interface is perceivable, not just to some, but to everyone. Have you checked color contrast on non-text elements yet? Image Description: Brightspace course titled “Making Online Content Accessible for All Cohort.” The interface features a table of contents made up of rectangular course tiles (cards). Each tile displays a course module title, progress indicator, and two icon buttons at the bottom. An orange arrow points to the question mark icon. When hovered over, it displays a visible label reading “Show Description.” Another arrow points to the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker, which shows a contrast ratio of 8.62:1 between white text (#FFFFFF) and a dark gray background (#4A4C4E), confirming it passes WCAG 2.2 contrast requirements for non-text elements.

I'm so excited that nearly three years of work is getting launched soon! Accessibility guidelines can feel overwhelmingly technical and difficult to understand. That's why we've been working for many many months on something to make them clearer, more approachable, and easier to apply. We're aiming for the end of the month, but may need a little grace on that timeline. We've been hard at work on a resource that breaks down every A and AA WCAG 2.2 success criterion into plain language with real-world examples. (AAA SC's to be ready in a few months.) No jargon, no confusion - just practical guidance for making the web more accessible. Why have we been working on this for so long? Because accessibility isn't just for experts, it's for everyone. Stay tuned! #Accessibility #WCAG #PlainLanguage #InclusiveDesign #A11y Image description: Sneak peak screenshot of WCAG in Plain English provided by AAArdvark. Making accessibility standards easy to understand, one success criterion at a time. Also shows 1.2.4 Captions (Live), Perceivable, Time-based Media, WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 AA. Also shown is a search bar.

Is your website accessible to everyone? 75% of Americans with disabilities use the internet daily. Yet, many websites unintentionally exclude them due to poor accessibility. Here’s why making your website accessible is critical: - It expands your audience reach. - It improves user experience for everyone. - It helps you comply with legal requirements like ADA and WCAG. Start with these key steps: 1) Add closed captions to videos and audio content. 2) Use alt text for images to help screen readers. 3) Ensure strong color contrast for readability. 4) Test your site’s keyboard navigation. 5) Structure your content with proper heading tags (H1-H6). Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart step to improve user experience. Have you taken steps to make your website more inclusive? Share your experiences below! 👇 #seo #seotips #website #digitalmarketing #dineshkatyare

Accessibility isn’t optional—it’s essential. It’s not just about checking a box; it’s about creating inclusive experiences that work for everyone. Here’s how designers can advocate for accessibility without it feeling like an afterthought: 1️⃣ Build accessibility into the design process Accessibility isn’t a last-minute QA step—it’s a design choice. Start integrating it early with tools like: ↳ Stark: Check contrast ratios directly in Figma. ↳ Axe: Test designs for screen readers and other assistive technologies. When accessibility is part of your process, you can avoid costly fixes later by building more inclusive products from the start. 2️⃣ Show the business case Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also good for business. Here’s how: ↳ Better usability: Designs that are accessible for some are often easier to use for all. ↳ Legal compliance: Avoid lawsuits and ensure your designs meet standards like WCAG. ↳ Broader audience reach: Accessible designs open your product to millions of users who might otherwise be excluded. 3️⃣ Educate stakeholders Not everyone understands the impact of inaccessible design. Help make the issue tangible by: ↳ Sharing examples of real-world accessibility challenges (e.g., unreadable text or confusing navigation). ↳ Explaining how inaccessible designs exclude people—and how inclusive design benefits everyone. 4️⃣ Lead by example As designers, we set the tone. Advocate for accessibility by incorporating best practices into your work: ↳ Add alt text for images and icons. ↳ Design with keyboard navigation in mind. ↳ Use clear hierarchies to guide users, especially those relying on assistive devices. Don’t stop at theory. Test your designs with real users, including those who rely on assistive technologies. (The best insights come from real feedback.) Accessibility isn’t an afterthought—it’s a commitment to inclusion, usability, and good design. What’s your favorite way to advocate for accessibility? Share below! 👇 #accessibility #inclusion #uxdesign #leadership #innovation #designstrategy #uxui #designtools ---------------- 👋 Hi, I'm Dane—I share daily design tools & tips. ❤️ If you found this helpful, consider liking it. 🔄 Want to help others? Consider reposting. ➕ For more like this, consider following me.