Let’s be honest. When you’re crafting that killer post for Instagram or threading the needle on X (formerly Twitter), your mind is on the hook. The visual. The viral line. You’re thinking about algorithms and engagement rates. But are you thinking about Tamara, who’s navigating your content with a screen reader? Or Ben, who has a sensitivity to flashing lights?
Probably not. And that’s the whole problem.
An accessibility-first approach flips the script. Instead of treating accessibility as an afterthought—a box to check once the “real” creative work is done—you build your content from the ground up to be usable by everyone. It’s the difference between building a staircase and then awkwardly bolting on a ramp, versus designing a beautiful, gently sloping entranceway that welcomes all from the very beginning.
Why Bother? The Overlooked Superpower of Inclusive Content
Sure, there’s a legal and ethical drive. But honestly? The business and creative case is just as compelling. Think about it. You’re not just excluding people with permanent disabilities. You’re also ignoring folks in situational scenarios—like someone trying to watch your video with the sound off on a noisy train, or someone with a temporary wrist injury who can’t easily click tiny links.
That’s a massive chunk of your potential audience. By embracing accessibility, you’re quite simply making better, more resilient, and more widely consumable content. It’s a superpower that expands your reach, fosters deeper loyalty, and frankly, makes you a more thoughtful creator.
The Practical Toolkit: Making Your Content Accessible, Post by Post
Okay, so how do you actually do this? Let’s break it down by content type. It’s less about memorizing a rigid list of rules and more about adopting a new mindset.
1. The Art of the Alt Text and Image Description
This is arguably the most well-known accessibility feature, yet it’s so often done poorly. Alt text is a concise description read by screen readers. An image description, often used in the main post body, can be more detailed.
The goal: Convey the context and purpose of the image. If your image is a button that says “Buy Now,” the alt text should be “Buy Now,” not “red rectangle.” If it’s a complex infographic, use the alt text to summarize the key finding and then provide a full description in your caption.
Avoid “image of” or “picture of.” Just describe. Be specific. Instead of “woman laughing,” try “Senior woman with gray hair throwing her head back in laughter at a cafe table.” See the difference? You’re painting a picture with words.
2. Caption Everything: Video’s Non-Negotiable
With 85% of videos on Facebook watched without sound, captions are no longer optional. They’re essential. But not all captions are created equal.
Auto-captions are a starting point, but they are notoriously error-prone. A quick review and edit can make the difference between “Let’s eat, Grandma!” and “Let’s eat Grandma!”—a rather significant culinary distinction. Use captions to identify speakers and convey non-speech information like [suspenseful music] or [door slams]. This adds a rich layer of context for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and for anyone scrolling in silence.
3. Color and Contrast: It’s Not Just Aesthetics
Your brand’s color palette might be beautiful, but is it legible? Low contrast between text and background (like light gray on white) is a nightmare for people with low vision, color blindness, or anyone squinting at their phone in bright sunlight.
Use free online tools to check your contrast ratios. And never use color alone to convey meaning. “Click the red button” is useless to someone who can’t see red. Instead, say “Click the red ‘Subscribe’ button.”
4. Mindful of Motion: Flashing and Seizure Risks
This is a serious one. Flashing or strobing content can trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. A good rule of thumb is to avoid content that flashes more than three times per second. Be especially careful with rapid cuts in video edits or animated GIFs. When in doubt, leave it out. It’s simply not worth the risk.
Crafting Your Accessible Content Workflow
Making this stick means building it into your process. It shouldn’t be a last-minute scramble. Here’s a simple checklist you can adapt:
- Before Publishing: Have I written meaningful alt text for all images? Are my video captions accurate? Is my color contrast strong enough?
- Writing Copy: Did I use camel case for my hashtags? (#AccessibilityFirst, not #accessibilityfirst). Is my language clear and simple, avoiding unnecessary jargon?
- Final Check: If this post were experienced without sight, or without sound, would it still make sense? Would its core message get through?
Honestly, it becomes second nature after a while. You start to see your own content through a wider, more inclusive lens.
The Ripple Effect: Beyond Compliance
When you commit to accessibility-first creation, something interesting happens. The quality of everything you do goes up. Your messaging becomes clearer. Your visuals become more intentional. You communicate with more empathy and precision.
You stop seeing accessibility as a constraint and start seeing it as a catalyst for better creativity. It forces you to think harder about what you’re really trying to say and how to say it in the most universally understood way. That’s a skill that benefits every single piece of content you create, full stop.
So the next time you sit down to create, ask yourself a simple question: Who am I building this for? The answer, if you’re doing it right, is everyone. And that, you know, is a pretty beautiful place to start.
