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Jul 198 min read

How to Ensure Accessibility When Incorporating Media Into Your Content



How to Ensure Accessibility When Incorporating Media Into Your Content

In our quest to embrace inclusivity in digital spaces, we've gathered insights from thirteen experts, including a speaker and inclusive marketing consultant and a head of accessibility innovation, on how to ensure media accessibility. They share strategies ranging from integrating accessibility during content creation to the role of assisted living facilities in embracing media accessibility, highlighting how these practices not only widen readership but also enhance engagement and brand reputation.


  • Integrate Accessibility in Content Creation

  • Follow Five Steps for Inclusive Media

  • Embed Accessibility in Content Sharing

  • Document Media-Specific Accessibility Processes

  • Alternative Text and Transcripts Improve SEO

  • Accessible Media Increases Reader Engagement

  • Use Descriptive Links for Better Navigation

  • Inclusive Practices Boost Readership and Revenue

  • Accessibility Enhances Brand and Learning Access

  • Audio Description Engages a Diverse Audience

  • Alt Text Reaches a Wider Readership

  • Inclusivity Through Diverse Focus Groups Feedback

  • Assisted Living Facility Embraces Media Accessibility


Integrate Accessibility in Content Creation

Making content accessible is one of the easiest things to do. When you make accessibility a part of the content creation process, you expand your brand's reach because you give everyone equal access, regardless of their circumstances. You also give people choices in how they engage with your brand's content.


Teams can learn how to create accessible content by taking accessibility and disability inclusion training. This training is one that every organization needs to provide to its employees, multiple times. The purpose of the training is to help employees understand the value of disability inclusion and accessibility. They also learn how to incorporate it into their work. Doing this creates a company culture that's more inclusive of people with disabilities and promotes accessibility.


Meryl K. Evans, CPACC, Speaker and Inclusive Marketing Consultant, meryl.net


Follow Five Steps for Inclusive Media

Accessible media starts with being inclusive. Whenever possible, try to feature a diverse range of talent in the media that you produce, including authentic representation of people with disabilities both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. 


Audio files should include a link to a text transcript that is formatted to be easy to read and includes speaker identification and sound effects. Video files must have closed captions—they can be auto-generated but should be proofread for accuracy. In addition, consider creating an audio-described version of the video that describes what’s happening, or if that’s not possible, include a text transcript with written descriptions. 


Avoid automatically playing audio and video files unless that is the expected interaction—for example, if someone selected a video from a list, autoplay would be expected. A video ad playing automatically on a web page is not an expected interaction.


These steps will dramatically increase the inclusivity and accessibility of your media.


Kate Kalcevich, Head of Accessibility Innovation


Embed Accessibility in Content Sharing

For me, incorporating accessibility into my content is absolutely paramount so that I can ensure all users, regardless of ability, can engage with what I'm sharing. I always have image descriptions embedded in and accompanying my captions when creating my content. I also ensure the font size, style, and color contrast are easy enough for everyone to read and engage with. 


When it comes to my videos, they are captioned, and I incorporate integrated audio descriptions, too. And let's not forget transcripts—when I'm working on my podcast, I always post a transcript with the latest episode at the same time of publication. But transcripts should also accompany videos when posting to YouTube or Vimeo. And this is just the beginning of what I do! From using plain and inclusive language to avoiding acronyms and all capitals in my copy, I'm allowing everyone to be part of the conversation.


By creating accessible content, you reach a broader audience while fostering inclusivity and allowing diverse users to access, understand, and interact with your content barrier-free. It shows your commitment to providing an equitable and inclusive experience, almost like saying, “Everyone is welcome here!”



Document Media-Specific Accessibility Processes

I begin by identifying the specific type of media to be integrated into my content. Different considerations apply when embedding a YouTube video versus a Vimeo video. Similarly, embedding a digital map or a 3-D visualization requires distinct accessibility requirements. The key is to document the steps that content authors within my organization need to follow to ensure accessibility. By first understanding the type of media being incorporated, I can establish a clear process for making all content accessible, supplemented by help documentation that includes real examples illustrating how to properly make the media accessible.



Alternative Text and Transcripts Improve SEO

Ensuring accessibility in our media content is fundamental. One key approach is integrating alternative text for images and transcripts for videos. This practice helps individuals with visual or hearing impairments and improves SEO, making our content more discoverable.


A personal story that stands out is when we revamped our webinar series. We added captions and provided transcripts for every session. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did we see an increase in engagement from our existing audience, but we also attracted a more diverse group of learners who appreciated the inclusive approach. This effort reaffirmed that accessible content fosters a broader, more engaged readership, making our platform a welcoming space for everyone.



Accessible Media Increases Reader Engagement

At Nursing Study, we ensure all media in our content is accessible by incorporating alt text for images, providing transcripts for videos, and using high-contrast colors. This approach not only meets accessibility standards but also opens our content to a broader audience, including those with visual or auditory impairments.


By prioritizing accessibility, we've seen a 15% increase in engagement from diverse reader groups, demonstrating the power of inclusive content. My advice is to always consider accessibility from the start—it's not just about compliance, but about making everyone feel welcome and valued.


Aslam Rehan, Content Writer and Editor, Nursing Writing Services


Use Descriptive Links for Better Navigation

I use descriptive links and buttons in my media content to enhance accessibility. Instead of generic phrases like “click here,” I use descriptive text that clearly indicates the action or destination, such as “download the report” or “view our services.” This practice helps users who rely on screen readers to navigate the content more efficiently.


Ensuring accessibility involves providing clear and meaningful link descriptions to enhance the overall usability of my content. This consideration fosters a more inclusive experience, making it easier for all users to understand and interact with the media.


Leigh McKenzie, Community Advocate, Traffic Think Tank


Inclusive Practices Boost Readership and Revenue

Accessibility is crucial to serving all readers and building brand loyalty. When adding media, I ensure transcripts, alt text, and captions are included so content is usable for those relying on assistive technologies. 


For a medical practice’s social media, we added image descriptions and tested pages with various screen readers. Since launching the updated profiles, traffic from accessibility-focused communities has climbed over 20%. Educating clients on simple practices to increase inclusiveness helps them better serve customers.


While time-consuming, building accessibility into strategy and content benefits readership and revenue. Cross-departmental collaboration and education help make inclusiveness a priority. The reward is a wider, more dedicated customer base.



Accessibility Enhances Brand and Learning Access

As the leader of a language-learning platform, ensuring accessibility when incorporating media into our content isn't just the right thing to do—it can also help us connect to a broader audience and enhance our brand reputation. As part of our core values, everyone should have access to learning materials, and this is precisely what we are doing. 


For instance, for photos, we prioritize providing textual alternatives. This means every image is paired with descriptive alt text for users who depend on screen readers. We also use alternative texts or audio to explain the information for infographics or complex image materials.


For videos, we must consider that some people rely on lip reading or mouth movement to decipher what someone is saying. With this in mind, we also ask our educators and video presenters to make their mouth movements clear and visible. Aside from that, we add audio descriptions, transcripts, and subtitles that can narrate visual information in videos, aiding the blind, mute, and deaf.


Lastly, we implement comprehensive keyboard navigation features on our website so that people with physical disabilities can still navigate our content seamlessly without needing a mouse or trackpad. It is also worthwhile to ensure our content is compatible across various devices and operating systems.


Stefano Lodola, Founder & Course Author, Think Languages


Audio Description Engages a Diverse Audience

Our investment advisory firm believes in making itself accessible to all. One important measure adopted by us is the provision of audio description. It allows viewers who are visually challenged to receive an audio presentation that describes foreground material on screen, thereby enhancing their viewing experience. Incorporating audio description helps us meet our requirements from a compliance perspective and enables full comprehension of the media we present, engaging each member of our audience. 


By making things accessible, we show commitment to the values of diversity and inclusivity—very essential values in the modern world. For instance, accessibility in media is not something to check off on the list of compliance but rather a critical part of our commitment to it, allowing us to share our investment insights with a broader, more diverse audience.



Alt Text Reaches a Wider Readership

I ensure accessibility when incorporating media into my content. This is a fundamental aspect of my approach to media as a life coach. The commitment to accessibility helps to reach a wider and more inclusive readership, allowing individuals of all abilities to engage with and benefit from my work. 


One way I do this is to ensure that every image used in my content includes descriptive alternative text (alt text). This alt text assists individuals who rely on screen readers, as it provides a concise description of the image, conveying the same information that sighted users gain visually. This way, everyone, regardless of their ability to see images, can understand and appreciate the visual content.


Adrienne Allaway, Founder & Life Coach, Adrienne Allaway


Inclusivity Through Diverse Focus Groups Feedback

Our dedication to inclusivity extends beyond technical accessibility features. We engage with diverse focus groups, including individuals with varying disabilities, to gather insights and real-world feedback on our media content. This allows us to make informed adjustments and continuously improve the user experience.


Furthermore, we stay current with the latest accessibility standards and guidelines, integrating them into our development processes from the outset. Our commitment to accessibility is also reflected in our team's ethos; we conduct regular training sessions to educate staff on best practices and the importance of inclusivity.


By embedding these principles into our organizational culture, we ensure that our platform remains welcoming and approachable for everyone. This holistic approach to accessibility not only broadens our user base but also demonstrates our unwavering commitment to equality and empowerment in the digital space.


Amit Doshi, Founder & CEO, MyTurn


Assisted Living Facility Embraces Media Accessibility

As an assisted living facility, accessibility when incorporating media into content is crucial. A large segment of our target audience faces sight and hearing challenges, and without careful consideration, we’d essentially limit our reach. We’ve added alt-text descriptions to all images, allowing the visually impaired readers to access content through them. 


We caption any videos to give those with hearing impairments full access to video content. Actually, we’ve gone a step further. We often use audio files and have employed transcription tools to create text versions to ensure they’re accessible by all. Our aim is to create a digital space that reflects the inclusivity and accessibility of our facility.



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