Skip to content
Social Media Accessibility Checklist
Use before every post goes live.
Text content
Clarity and structure
- Written in plain language
- Short sentences and paragraphs
- Logical line breaks for readability
- No unnecessary jargon or unexplained acronyms
- Tone is respectful and inclusive
- Provide heading structure where possible
- Do not use tools to generate bold or italics
Emojis and special characters
- Emojis used sparingly
- Emojis do not replace key words
- Avoid emoticons
- No decorative character spam (!!!, *****, excessive ALL CAPS)
- Emoji meaning aligns with the written message
Video content
- Captions added and reviewed for accuracy
- Captions synchronised properly
Speaker names identified where helpful - Transcript available where needed
- No flashing, strobing, or rapid visual effects
- Audio is clear and balanced
- Key visual information is described verbally
- For short-form video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts):
- Burned-in captions are large enough to read on mobile
- Text is not cut off by platform interface elements
Images and graphics
- Alt text written and reviewed
- Alt text describes meaning, not just appearance
- No essential information exists only in the image
- Text in image is readable on mobile
- Good colour contrast (minimum 4.5:1 for text)
- Colour is not the only way information is conveyed
- Animated GIFs do not flash or flicker
- If the image includes text:
- Key message repeated in the post caption
Links and destinations
- Link destination clearly described
- No vague “click here” language
- No misleading preview text
- Tracking links tested
- No unnecessary link shorteners
- Destination page is accessible where possible
Hashtags and formatting
- Multi-word hashtags use CamelCase (for example #DigitalAccessibility)
- Hashtags are limited and used intentionally
- Hashtags placed at the end where possible
Platform checks
- Post previewed on mobile
- Text not truncated awkwardly
- Thumbnail clear and not cluttered
- Platform accessibility features used (alt text fields, captions, etc.)
Community and governance
- Accessibility-related comments will be monitored
- Escalation route known if an accessibility issue is raised
- Holding response available if needed
- Community guidelines applied consistently
Final publishing pause
Before pressing publish, ask:
- Would this post make sense if I could not see the image?
- Would it make sense if I could not hear the video?
- Would it make sense if I was skimming quickly?
- Would it feel respectful to the community being referenced?
If the answer to any is no, revise.
