Social Media Accessibility Guidelines

SUNY Westchester Community College is committed to making its online content accessible to everyone. This page explains what to do before you post on a college social media account.

Under the U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA Title II rule, the college’s web content and mobile apps, including new social media posts, must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 26, 2027. Please follow these practices now.

Who This Applies To

Official College accounts operated by Strategic Marketing and Communications (SMAC) is responsible for accessibility on these accounts.

Department, program, and office accounts — the department or office operating the account is responsible for the accessibility of what it publishes. SMAC provides guidance, templates, and training in this document.

Employees posting about college business from personal accounts — these practices are recommended. Official college announcements should be published through a college account.

What SMAC provides: guidance, accessible templates, the color contrast reference, alt text review on request, and best practice sessions. Requests route through the Creative Communications request form, which is available on the SMAC webpage.

What SMAC does not do: monitor, manage, or enforce accessibility on accounts it does not operate.

Before You Post

• Alt text added to every image that carries information
• Video captions on, and auto-captions reviewed for names, program titles, and campus locations
• Text on graphics passes 4.5:1 contrast against its background
• Hashtags in CamelCase (#NewStudents, not #newstudents)
• Emoji at the end of the sentence, used sparingly
• No critical information available only inside an image — repeat the key details in the post copy or link to an accessible page

General Information for Social Media Content Accessibility

Create and publish social media content that is accessible to the fullest extent each platform allows. When a platform offers accessibility features (such as alternative text or captions), use them, and review/edit any auto-generated output for accuracy.

Alt Text and Descriptions

Always add alt text to informational images: describe the essential content and purpose of your image.

Be concise but descriptive: focus on key information rather than every detail. When you add alt text to social media posts, it should be written naturally and concisely. For dense infographics or long text, provide a longer text version in the post copy (or link to an accessible webpage that contains the full text).

What to Include:

• Decorative images: may need minimal or no alt text, labeling as decorative image is enough
• Informative images: key details, text content, context
• Graphs/charts: data trends, key findings, axis labels
• People: number of people, emotions, actions (when relevant)

What to Avoid:

• Redundant phrases (“image of,” “photo of”)
• Overly detailed descriptions for simple images
• Keyword stuffing for SEO
• Subjective interpretations or opinions

Examples

Headshot / portrait
Weak: “photo of a woman smiling”
Better: “Dr. Miles speaking at a podium during the Honors College opening ceremony.”

Event flyer or graphic with text
Weak: “image of flyer”
Better: “Flyer for Fall Open House.” Then put the full details — date, time, location, registration link — in the post copy where everyone can read them. Alt text is not the place to reproduce a flyer.

Chart or graph
Weak: “enrollment chart”
Better: “Bar chart showing fall enrollment rising from 2023 to 2026, with the largest increase in 2025.” Link to a page with the underlying numbers if the data matters.

Color and Contrast

Ensure sufficient contrast: at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio between text and background, the WebAIM contrast checker resource is recommended for checking contrast ratios

Use colorblind-friendly palettes: avoid color combinations that are difficult for colorblind users to distinguish (red/green, blue/yellow).

Don’t rely on color alone: use patterns, labels, or text in addition to color coding.

Typography

Use readable fonts: like clear, sans-serif fonts.

Maintain adequate sizing: keep text large enough to read on mobile devices (minimum 24pt for body text).

Avoid text over complex backgrounds: ensure text readability isn’t compromised by busy imagery.

Content Structure

Maintain clear hierarchy: use visual design to indicate importance and relationships.

Maintain white space: provide adequate spacing to reduce cognitive load.

Consider logical reading order: arrange elements in a way that makes sense when converted to linear formats.

Video

• Caption all videos. Captions support people who are Deaf/hard of hearing, people watching without sound, and many non-native speakers.
• Captions may be closed (toggle on/off) or open (burned into the video).
• If you use auto-captions, edit for accuracy (names, technical terms, campus locations, etc.).
• If important visual information is not communicated in the audio (e.g., on-screen steps, charts, text), provide an audio description or incorporate that information into the narration/captions (so it’s not “visual-only”).

Animated GIFs

• Not all platforms support alt text for GIFs, and some GIF formats may be difficult for screen reader users to interpret.
• When alt text is not available, avoid using GIFs to communicate critical information, or include a brief description in the post text.
• If using GIFs, they must be able to be paused.

Hashtags:

• Use CamelCase hashtags (e.g., #NewStudents) so screen readers can correctly parse each word.
• Use hashtags sparingly; long strings of hashtags can reduce readability and increase screen reader fatigue.

Emojis and emoticons

Use emojis sparingly and place them at the end of sentences when possible (rather than mid-sentence), as screen readers read emoji descriptions aloud.

• Limit text-based emoticons (e.g., ;)) because they can be read as keystrokes.

Links & documents

• Don’t post critical info only in a non-accessible PDF/flyer image; link to an accessible webpage or provide an accessible text version.

Color/contrast

• Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning; ensure readable contrast in graphics.

Flashing content

• Avoid rapidly flashing animations.