Writing for Accessibility: Tips and Best Practices

Imagine crafting messages that everyone—yes, everyone—can enjoy in the way they want and the way they need without feeling like an outsider.

It’s 1000% possible, and it’s why we do what we do.

Why Accessibility is Your New Best Friend

In a nutshell, the idea behind accessibility is that navigating a website shouldn’t be as difficult as evading the potholes in Omaha, Nebraska. (Seriously, did you see the literal SINKHOLE that just opened up this week???)

It’s about making your content usable to as many people as possible, including those with disabilities. These could refer to low vision, hearing difficulties, motor impairments, or intellectual disabilities, which are all more common than many people realize. Nearly one in four adults in the U.S. has some type of disability, and that number is growing.

Ignoring accessibility means you could be missing out on a huge chunk of your audience or unintentionally alienating them, which honestly sucks for everyone involved.

Making accessible content is just the right thing to do—like returning your shopping cart at the grocery store.

Legislation and Standards

Another reason to care? There are laws and guidelines to ensure web accessibility.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US and the UK’s Equality Act mandate that websites be accessible to people with disabilities and they don’t mess around.

The consequences of ignoring these guidelines can be extremely expensive.

We’re talking thousands of dollars of fines per occurrence (along with a tarnished brand reputation).

Accessibility in Action

Alright, let's break this down into some bite-sized, actionable tips that you can start using today.

1. Clarity is Queen: Write clearly and simply. This isn’t the place for that fancy jargon you picked up while binge-watching law dramas. Use plain language that a friend or neighbor could easily understand.

2. Structure is Your Sidekick: Use headings, lists, and bullet points to organize your thoughts. This makes your content easier on the eyes and helps screen readers navigate your text. Think of it like leaving breadcrumbs in the forest of information (shout out to Hansel & Gretel).

3. A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words (So Describe a Few): Always add alt text to your images, whether you’re posting photos on a blog or social media. This little snippet of text helps people who can’t see the image understand what’s there. Just because someone can’t see your snazzy chart or cute cat photo doesn’t mean they should miss out on the fun.

4. Don’t Forget the Captions: Videos and audio clips are great, but without captions or transcripts, they’re naked (gasp)! Adding these helps those with hearing impairments and anyone who likes to read along or needs to find information quickly.

5. Expand on Acronyms: Introduce each new acronym with the full phrase it’s referring to on first use.

6. Active vs. Passive Voice: Controversial, I know, but I don’t mind passive voice. Coming from a professional writer, this might sound like blasphemy, but hear me out. Many of us naturally speak in passive constructions, and a skilled blog writer always steps into the reader's shoes. By mirroring the natural speech patterns of our audience, we can make our writing feel more familiar and accessible.

7. Four Main Principles of Accessibility: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). Perceivable means content must be presentable. Operable = functionality via navigation. Understandable means the text is readable. Robust means content works on various devices and browsers.

8. Color Contrast: Make sure the colors on your site have enough contrast so everyone can read your text without squinting. If you noticed a small change to the Gr8 Writing website this week, it’s because we upped the contrast. Our first color palette just didn’t make the cut. We’re not afraid to admit our mistakes because we can all do better.

9. Responsive Design: Your website should be easy to read and navigate, whether on a laptop, phone, or tablet.

10. Friendly Forms: Make your forms easy to interact with, regardless of someone’s dexterity or device.

Tools of the Trade: Making Accessibility Easy

There are tons of tools out there to help you make your content more accessible:

• WebAIM: Your go-to for guidelines on making content accessible.

• WAVE: Another nifty resource that evaluates your web pages for accessibility issues.

• Axe: This browser plugin is like having a mini accessibility consultant who lives inside your computer.

• Hemingway: This free tool will tell you what grade level your writing is at and even suggest edits if certain copy is too jargony or complex.

• American Foundation for the Blind: This resource offers more guidance on digital inclusion regarding blind and low-vision users.

Real Talk: Why This Matters

Incorporating accessibility practices isn't about compliance or ticking boxes, and it shouldn’t be controversial. There’s no debating that everyone should have access to and be able to engage with content without barriers.

Each adjustment you make invites more visitors to engage with your content comfortably and fully.

For businesses, it means tapping into a larger market, potentially boosting engagement and customer loyalty.

For educational and non-profit organizations, it means having a bigger impact on their message and mission.

And let’s not forget: Making your digital content accessible can also improve your SEO, as search engines often favor sites that are more accessible.

That’s absolutely a win-win in our book!

Does Your Site Need an Accessibility Audit?

Have more questions about creating content that everyone can enjoy? Shoot us a message.

We’re big on community and responsibility here, which means we can all do our part to create a better tomorrow.