Everyone Deserves Access: A Practical Guide to Accessible Content

One in four Americans has a disability that affects how they interact with digital content. If your brand isn’t accessible, you’re excluding a quarter of your audience — and valuable customers.

With looming deadlines for website accessibility compliance, this important issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. But websites aren’t the only places where accessibility matters. Digital ads and social platforms are equally important spaces where you need to ensure compliance.

Why Accessibility Matters

At DR, we take accessibility compliance seriously — not because compliance demands it, but because it’s the right thing to do. Excluding people from engaging with your brand shouldn’t be acceptable to anyone.

When you create accessible content, you’re saying that everyone is welcome to interact with your brand on their own terms. This isn’t just good ethics; it’s good business.

How to Make Your Content Accessible

What does this mean for you? If you haven’t been considering accessibility in your content, it’s time to follow these guidelines to ensure your digital ads and social content are accessible to everyone.

Digital Ads

Digital ads range from static to dynamic content, and depending on the platform, you’ll have different tools available. Here’s how to audit yours for accessibility:

Color Contrast 

Ensure color contrast meets WCAG AA standards (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text) 
If incorporating a “button,” meet contrast minimums (4.5:1 ratio for button text against its background; 3:1 ratio for the button background against adjacent background colors)

Typography

• Use humanist or sans-serif fonts for small text
• Minimum letter spacing: 0.12x the font size
• Minimum line height: 1.5x the font size
• Small text (under 24px): minimum 16px or 12pt, ideally 24px or 18pt
• Large text (24px and above): minimum 24px or 18pt

Language

• Use simple, direct language and active voice
• Avoid unnecessary jargon or acronyms
• Avoid sensory language: instead of “see below” use “in the section below”; instead of “hear our podcast” use “listen to our podcast”
• Avoid directional language that relies on visual placement
• Instead of: “Click the button on the right”
• Try: “Click the ‘Subscribe’ button”

Images & Alt Text 

• Provide descriptive alt text for all images when available
• Example: instead of “alt: photo” use “alt: woman smiling at coffee shop counter”

Video/Animation

• Do not use content that flashes more than three times per second to prevent photosensitive seizures
• Include manually edited, accurate closed captions (identify speakers, note sound effects and music cues)
• Provide a synchronized spoken description of the visual content in videos

Social Content

Social content varies by platform, but the above guidelines apply here, too. Consider these additional best practices:

Typography

If using text in imagery, use 32 to 40 pt for key details and 48 pt or higher for main headlines

Emoji and Symbol Usage

• Use emojis sparingly. Avoid using them to replace words, which breaks meaning for screen readers
• Only place emojis at the end of posts to avoid interrupting text flow

Hashtags

• Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag to ensure screen readers can properly read them 

Captions & Alt Text

• Apply the same alt text and caption guidelines as digital ads
• On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, use captions for all video content, not just as an option

Accessibility guidelines aren’t meant to complicate your advertising; they’re designed to help it communicate with everyone. Yes, it takes a few extra steps, but it’s always worth the effort.

Start with these basics. Review your current content against these guidelines and make updates where needed. Your team can implement these practices into your daily workflows, one section at a time.

If you have questions or need support, we’re here to help. Reach out for a consultation or training session on making your brand accessible to all. Because accessibility isn’t a compliance checkbox, it’s about ensuring your brand speaks to everyone.