SOCIAL MEDIA: Two Ways to Make Your Twitter Tweets More Accessible

Twitter blue logo on wood background

1) Add Alt Tags to photos you include in your Tweets

When you Tweet photos using the Twitter app for iOS or Android, or on twitter.com, be sure to compose a description of each image you post so the content is accessible to people who are visually impaired.

Here’s how to enable the Compose image descriptions setting in Twitter:

a) Log in to your Twitter account.
b) Click on your profile icon and select Settings and privacy from the dropdown (or press the “g” key quickly, followed by the “s” key).
c) Click Accessibility from the list of settings.

Accessibility Setting Dialog Menu in Twitter
d) Find the Compose image descriptions checkbox.
e) Check the box to turn the setting on.
f) Click Save changes.

Once you add an image to your Tweet

a) Click the Add description option.
Twitter Post Window - Add a description

b) On the next screen you will have the opportunity to “Describe this photo for the visually impaired.”

Twitter Image block that allows entry of an ALT tag for a post image

NOTE: The image description is limited is 420 characters.

2) Make your links accessible

Including a hyperlink in your Tweet. You should indicate what type of file it leads to by adding [PIC], [VIDEO], [AUDIO] or [PDF] to the right of the link so screen reader users will know what they will find when they follow the link.

Sample Twitter Tweet depicting correct way to add accessible file link identifier

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