Social Media ADA Compliance

We are prohibited by law from discriminating against individuals with disabilities by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

5 Tips to be ADA Compliant on Social Media

1. When posting on Facebook, make sure that you add an alt text caption for the photo.
2. When posting on Twitter, make sure that you add an image description for the photo.
3. Instagram does not have a way to add alt text or captions like Facebook and Twitter so you will want to add the alt caption a few lines below the actual caption on Instagram.
4. How to write an alt text caption/comment: The caption/comment should effectively describe the photo. For example, if the post was a photo of a nursing student working with a patient, here are examples of good and bad alt texts:
   • Good: A undergraduate nursing student working with a patient in the nursing laboratory.
   • Bad: Picture of a nursing student.
5. Videos should be closed-captioned. YouTube provides a free closed-captioning option, but you will want to check over the captions for accuracy.

For Facebook, Instagram and Twitter you can "burn in" the captions. You can also caption a video in Facebook.

The good news is that videos with captions tend to perform better on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, because, for example, if someone is at a doctor's office browsing social media, they will likely not want to turn on the video's sound.