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People who are
Deaf or Hard of Hearing 

People who are 
Blind or Visually Impaired

&

“We think of disability as something we need to help or fix or be charitable of instead of just part of the human condition"

Creating Accessible
Social Media Content

In current times social media has become a significant part of many people’s lives as it provides community, entertainment and further connection with others. However many people who are blind or deaf claim that lack of accessibility and accommodation causes them to be excluded from these platforms (Lermen 2021).

 

Third party technologies and assistance can be both expensive and complicated for people to navigate and should not be the only resource for these individuals to participate in social media (Lermen 2021). This is why it is essential for social media content to be created with people who are either deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, in mind.

People who are
Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Closed Captions

Closed captions accompanying media and videos is an essential service to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). In recent years video format has become an increasingly popular form of content across many social media platforms (Lermen 2021).

 

In order for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing to engage with this content, closed captions are of great assistance.

Why and How to Create Closed Captions

People who are deaf or hard of hearing are clear in their want and need for all Janine Butler’s study on the ‘Perspectives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Viewers of Captions’ gives great insight into the requirements that closed captions should meet, including in the online world, for those that are deaf or hard of hearing. The focus group in the study discussed the frustrations that are experienced when content creators don’t provide captions as they are then left to view automated captions, if they are available (Butler 2019, p.544).

 

 

One individual from the focus group describes this issue and expresses who should be responsible for it’s solution.

“The creators who make their videos, right, they need to do it themselves. Yes, [You-Tube videos] have captions, but most of the time it doesn’t match what [the speakers] say. So, it’s the creators who need to put in the captions.”
(Butler 2019, P.544)

So although the platform that you are utilising to create and publish video content may provide automated captions it is important that instead you as the creator provide captions to ensure their accuracy. Closed captions should be featured on all social media content to allow for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing to engage fairly.

In Summary

  • Closed Captions allow for People who are deaf and hard of hearing to engage in your video content 

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  • Create your own captions that state exactly what is being said

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  • Don’t rely on automated captions as they can be inaccurate

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  • Provide closed captions on ALL video social media content posted

People Who are
Blind or Visually Impaired

Alt-Text

People who are blind or visually impaired rely on Alt-text (Alternative text) to navigate and experience the online world. Alt-text is the description of an image that is provided by the content publisher, which can be read out loud via screen readers of individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a cognitive disability (WebAIM 2019). If done effectively an image can be accurately portrayed to people who are deaf or visually impaired and therefore create a more equitable online and social media experience for them (Lermen 2021).

How to Write Alt-Text

When writing Alt-Text it is important to understand what the image is trying to convey and try and reflect that for individuals that are blind or visually impaired. The first step to executing this is by identifying what content and function the image is providing (WebAIM 2019).

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Alt-text of the content of an image should be descriptive but also succinct (Arthur 2017). It is important to not only outline the main visual elements of the image but also the mood or tone that it is conveying (Vic Gov 2020). If an image provides a function such as a symbol showing direction or contains text then it is important that the alt-text provide this service. 

 

Although alt-text should be descriptive and convey all of these elements it should not repeat already available information (Vic Gov 2020). In the case of social media content, alt-text should not repeat what is already written in the caption of the image. 

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Alt-Text allows for the inclusiveness of people who are blind or visually impaired to engage in social media content. It is important that it is done by the creator and/or publisher of the content for every image posted to a social media platform.

In Summary

  • Alt-Text allows for People who are blind or visually impaired to engage with your visual content via screen readers.

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  • Understand the context that the image is in and also the content and/or function it is providing.

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  • Keep your Alt-Text succinct, descriptive and non repetitive.

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  • Provide Alt-Text for all social media images posted.

Arthur, L 2017. ‘Why alt-text matters’, futures blog, weblog, UTS, Sydney, viewed 14th October 2021 <https://www.lib.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/Harvard%20Interactive%20Guide.pdf>

 

Butler, J 2019. ‘Perspective of deaf and hard of hearing viewers of captions’, American Annals of the Deaf, vol.163, no.5, pp.534-553

 

Lerman, R 2021. ‘Social media has upped its accessibility game. But deaf creators say it has a long way to go’, Washington Post, 15th March, viewed 14th October 2021, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/15/social-media-accessibility-captions/>

 

Vic Gov 2020, Alternative text digital guide, Victoria, viewed 15th October 2021, <https://www.vic.gov.au/alternative-text>

 

WebAIM 2010, Alternative Text, Logan, viewed 15th October 2021, <https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/>

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