Accessibility Requirements and Expectations

Worcester State University is committed to ensuring digital content is accessible to all users. Social media content shared on official and university-affiliated accounts must meet accessibility standards and align with university guidance and applicable web accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

All account administrators are responsible for following these accessibility requirements when creating and publishing social media content. This guidance represents Worcester State University’s expectations for accessible social media content and applies to all official and university-affiliated accounts.

Accessibility Guidelines for Social Media Content

When creating posts, graphics, videos, and comments, follow these accessibility guidelines to ensure content is accessible.

Graphics

• Use minimal text within graphics whenever possible.
• Ensure color combinations meet contrast accessibility standards to support readability.
• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.

Alternative Text (Alt Text) and Image Descriptions

• Alternative text (alt text) is added within a platform’s designated accessibility settings and is read aloud by screen readers to describe images.
• Image descriptions provide similar context but are included in the post caption or accompanying text.
• Descriptive alt text and image descriptions must be added to all posts containing images and should clearly describe the content and purpose of each image.
• If an image includes text, that text must be included in the alt text or image description.

For more guidance, visit: Creating Accessible Social Media Content.

Video and Captions

• All videos containing dialogue must include captions.
• Captions should be accurate and synchronized with the audio.

For guidance on adding captions, visit: How to Create Videos for Social Media.

Hashtags

• Use CamelCase by capitalizing the first letter of each word in a hashtag (e.g., #LancerNation instead of #lancernation) to improve readability for users utilizing screen readers.

Emojis

• Use emojis sparingly. Screen readers read each emoji aloud.
• When using multiple emojis, place spaces between them.

GIFs

• Limit the use of GIFs whenever possible as GIFs are not accessible to screen readers and may present barriers for some users.

For more information on how to create accessible social media content, visit: Creating Accessible Social Media Content.