Capitalization affects how people read hashtags or how people hear them on screen readers. Use #camelCase or #PascalCase in hashtags instead of lowercase. You could have #DoctorWhoRewatch ("Doctor Who Rewatch") or #doctorwhorewatch ("doctor whore watch.")

Chartability is a resource to help make data visualizations and charts more accessible. It's organized into principles with testable criteria aimed at making sure people with disabilities are able to access data. chartability.fizz.studio

Hyperlink text should make sense when read out of context. Screen reader users can navigate from link to link, and can listen to links in a list. When navigating this way, only the link is read. So "click here" or "read more" won't make sense.

The #NoMouse Challenge is a global effort to raise awareness about accessible web design. Try using your website without a mouse. Use the keyboard instead. Is it possible to access all features and operate all buttons, sliders, and other controls? nomouse.org

The term "overlay" refers to any product using third-party source code to change a website's front-end code to attempt to improve accessibility and avoid legal risks. But no overlay can truthfully promise it can make a website fully conform with existing accessibility standards.

When using Microsoft Word or Google Docs, don't just make text bigger and bolder to make it a heading. That will work for sighted users, but screen reader users will miss that and just hear it as normal paragraph text. Use actual heading styles, like level 1 through 6.

Avoid forcing users to memorize information. For example, use field labels instead of placeholder text. Placeholder text disappears when users begin typing. This forces them to memorize placeholder text or delete information so they can see placeholders again.

Avoid having animations, sliders, videos, or rapid movement start automatically. Give an indicator of what movement will happen on the site when someone takes action. Allow the option to turn off any animation and movement at any point in the process.

If you pair light colors (yellow text on white background) or dark colors (dark blue text on black background), users will struggle to read your content. Understanding color contrast will help you better serve all users, especially those with low vision. webaim.org/articles/con...

For screen readers to recognize headings, heading text can't just be body text or normal text that's been made to look bigger and bolder. It must be formatted as a heading. In Microsoft Word and Google Docs, this can be done in the styles box. In HTML, use the tags h1 through h6.

Automated captions and transcripts can save time so that you don't have to manually transcribe on your own. But automated captions and transcripts aren't 100% accurate, so they need manual editing before you publish them. www.w3.org/WAI/media/av...

When you can, avoid number-only date formats. Sighted users could be confused on whether the first number is the month or day. If you've incorrectly designated your document's language, screen reader users might hear the wrong date. Writing out the month prevents this confusion.

Looking for a digital accessibility job? Or looking to hire someone for an accessibility role? A11yjobs is a digital accessibility job board. www.a11yjobs.com

The Game Accessibility Guidelines have been put together by game studios, specialists and academics. While they are not an official set of standards or documents, they are a collection of tips and techniques to help developers make games more inclusive. gameaccessibilityguidelines.com

If a word has some letters replaced with asterisks or symbols, this could confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Screen reader users won't necessarily know what the word is meant to be, as it could sound like gibberish.

PDF tags provide a hidden, structured representation of PDF content that is presented to screen readers. Not all applications support good PDF tag structure, but InDesign, Word, and PowerPoint can. WebAIM has more information on preserving these tags. webaim.org/techniques/a...

Like most other disciplines, accessibility takes practice, time, and patience. No one starts a new endeavor and is instantly excellent at it with nothing to learn. If your beginning goal is absolute perfection, you'll burn out. You'll find excuses to not try. Get started and try.

Some people need to change the way text is displayed in order to read it. This includes changing size, spacing, font, color, and other properties. When people customize text, the text should re-flow so they don’t have to scroll horizontally to read. www.w3.org/WAI/perspect...

"Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech is a collection of 32 chapters written by 39 disabled and non-disabled authors from 10 countries and one commonwealth. It is the first book on digital accessibility ethics. And it's available now!

An accessibility statement lets your users know you're committed to web accessibility. These statements usually include the accessibility standard applied, such as WCAG 2.1 AA. They also include contact information in case users encounter problems. www.w3.org/WAI/planning...

Headings serve as landmarks for users and help them understand how different pieces of information relate to each other. For example, a section with a level 3 headings probably provides information in support of information provided in the previous level 2 heading, and so on.

Some people have disabilities that are directly based on the way they understand and interpret numbers. In this post, Ricky Onsman explains some of these disabilities, who is affects and how, and what web creators can do about it. www.tpgi.com/making-numbe...

Public sector sites and apps in European Union countries are subject to The EU Web Accessibility Directive. Among other things, the law requires accessibility statements for websites and mobile apps. To learn more, review the Frequently Asked Questions: web-directive.eu

Alt text is not the same as a photo caption. Captions are typically written to support a photo, and usually depend on users being able to see the photo. But alt text is meant to be the stand-in for the photo. The alt text is what a screen reader user gets in place of the photo.

The difference between closed captions and open captions: Closed captions are on a separate track that can be turned on or off. Open captions are captions that are burned into the video, so that they are always showing. The viewer cannot turn them off. www.w3.org/WAI/media/av...

Do not rely on the A.I.-generated alt text in Facebook or Instagram. The result is vague and useless, like "may be an image of food and text," and "may be an image of outdoors." These do nothing to give users the context and content of an image.

The Xbox Accessibility Guidelines are a set of best practices compiled by industry experts, gamers, and disabled people. The guidelines have been written to help developers, designers, and testers make games more accessible to people with disabilities. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming...

Automatic transcription can be much faster than manual transcription, but it's not as accurate. Humans can catch errors that software may miss because of background noise or poor audio quality. Always review and edit transcripts before publishing.

In all forms of communication, knowing your audience is key. This is true when writing alt text. When describing an image, consider what information, context, and knowledge your audience will have. As today is "May The Fourth," we can use a "Star Wars"-themed example. #MayTheFourth #StarWars

Meryl Evans' "Why and How to Create Accessible Social Media and Website Content" introduces content creators to basic accessibility considerations for links, hashtags, emojis, alt text, transcripts, and more. meryl.net/digital-cont...

Sharing "Star Wars" images on this "May The Fourth"? Don't forget alt text! Alt text is crucial for people who are blind, who have low vision, and others who use screen readers. #MayTheFourth #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #MayThe4thBeWithYou #MayThe4th #StarWarsDay #StarWars #a11y

Many screen readers can produce a list with all the headings on a page. This allows users to browse the list and jump to a specific heading on the page. Write down that list and structure it. Does it make sense if you read it out loud?

When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.

If your data is best presented in a table, try to keep the table simple. If it's a complex table, consider whether it can be broken into multiple, smaller tables. A key to making data tables accessible to screen reader users is to clearly identify column and row headers.

Don't forget transcripts for video and audio. These will help blind users and low-vision users, deaf and hard-of-hearing users, people with ADHD, and people with audio-processing disorders. Transcripts also benefit search engines, people in quiet spaces, and people in a hurry.

Instructions for forms should appear at the beginning of the form. Some users may not notice instructions if they appear at the end of the form. If a form field requires data in a certain format (for instance, a date field that requires “day/month/year"), provide examples.

Color contrast is the difference in brightness between foreground and background colors. You can check your color contrasts with the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker to determine if people with low vision can tell the colors apart and see your content. webaim.org/resources/co...

Some are suggesting you deliberately write inaccurate or confusing alt text, because they say this confuses AI scrapers that are analyzing images. The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.

Some treat web accessibility as a checklist to meet legal or technical requirements. But at its core, web accessibility is about people, not code or requirements. Web accessibility is about making sure people with disabilities can use websites, apps, and digital technologies.

Don’t stuff your alt text with keywords without context. If your alt text is just a collection of keywords, it will just sound like a gibberish string. It won’t describe what’s actually in the image, and won't help a blind user get a context or content of the image.

Automatic captions make it difficult to watch videos because the viewer is forced to decipher misspelled or mistranslated words that appear in a string of text without any punctuation. These can be distracting and disorienting. Always edit your captions before publishing.

Hyperlink text should make sense when read out of context. Screen reader users can navigate from link to link, and can listen to links in a list. When navigating this way, only the link is read. So "click here" or "read more" won't make sense.

Animated elements, popups, jiggling icons, and spontaneous modals can distract users from tasks. To help users focus on important content and functionality, avoid anything that would distract a person's attention away from the main content or functionality.

If you're using a table, it should be used because that is the best way to convey information. You should not use a table simply to control the layout and alignment of text in your document. It might look the way you want it to, but this will confuse users of screen readers.

Everyone who works on a website has a role to ensure the site and its content are accessible. This resource from Vox Media breaks down some accessibility tasks by job role, including content creators, designers, developers, project managers, and testers. accessibility.voxmedia.com

Plain language is communication that your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. This varies by audience, of course. What is common vocabulary for academics won't necessarily be common for chemists, clergy, or engineers. Know your audience.

When picking fonts, use simple, familiar, and easily-parsed fonts. Avoid character complexity and ambiguity. Use a limited number of typefaces, fonts, and variations. Consider spacing and weight. Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and background. Avoid small font sizes.

You don't necessarily want to use the exact same alt text each time a specific image is used. Alt text must consider the context of the image and why it's being included on a site, post, article, etc. In other words, alt text depends on where you're including the image and why.

For people just getting introduced to accessibility concepts, the number of resources can be overwhelming for people who don't know where to start. These 10 tips from Lireo Designs can be a good way to introduce your team to the basics. www.lireo.com/10-ways-to-i...

If you use the clapping hands emoji between every word for emphasis, screen reader users will hear "clapping hands" after each word. This is true for any emoji. This will be distracting, annoying, and disorienting. The message you're trying to emphasize will likely be lost.