Process

Training Content Creators on Accessibility

By EZUD Published · Updated

Training Content Creators on Accessibility

Content creators, including writers, editors, social media managers, and marketing teams, produce the text, images, videos, and documents that users interact with. Accessible content is not solely a developer responsibility. A perfectly coded page with inaccessible content still excludes people with disabilities. Training content creators on accessibility practices ensures that the words, images, and media they produce are usable by everyone.

Core Topics

Heading Structure

Headings are not just visual formatting. Screen reader users navigate pages by heading level. Content creators should:

  • Use heading levels to represent content hierarchy, not for visual styling.
  • Never skip heading levels (do not jump from H2 to H4).
  • Keep headings descriptive and concise. A user navigating by headings should understand the page structure from the headings alone.

Alternative Text for Images

Alt text describes images for people who cannot see them. Content creators should:

  • Write alt text that conveys the content and function of the image, not just its appearance. “Bar chart showing Q3 revenue increased 12% over Q2” is more useful than “chart.”
  • Keep alt text concise, typically under 150 characters.
  • Mark decorative images (images that convey no information) with empty alt (alt="").
  • For complex images (charts, infographics, diagrams), provide a longer description in the surrounding text or a linked detailed description.

Link Text

  • Links should be meaningful out of context. “Read our accessibility audit guide” is useful; “click here” is not.
  • Avoid generic link text like “read more,” “learn more,” or “click here.” Screen reader users often navigate by links, and a list of “click here” links is uninformative.
  • If a link opens a new window or downloads a file, indicate this in the link text or through an adjacent indicator.

Plain Language

  • Use clear, straightforward language. Avoid jargon unless defining it.
  • Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
  • Use active voice when possible.
  • Define acronyms on first use.
  • Plain language benefits everyone but is essential for people with cognitive and learning disabilities, non-native speakers, and users under stress or time pressure.

Tables

  • Use tables only for tabular data, not for layout.
  • Include column and row headers so screen readers can announce cell relationships.
  • Add a caption or summary that describes the table’s content.

Video and Audio

  • Captions for all video content. Auto-generated captions must be reviewed and corrected. Captions benefit deaf and hard-of-hearing users, people in noisy or quiet environments, and non-native speakers.
  • Audio descriptions for video content where important visual information is not conveyed through dialogue or narration.
  • Transcripts for audio-only content (podcasts, audio recordings).

Documents and PDFs

  • Use built-in heading styles in word processors (Word, Google Docs), not manual formatting.
  • Add alt text to images in documents.
  • Generate PDFs from structured source documents rather than scanning printed pages.
  • Test PDF accessibility with tools like PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) or Adobe Acrobat’s accessibility checker.

Social Media

  • Add alt text to images on platforms that support it (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).
  • Use camelCase or PascalCase in hashtags so screen readers can parse them (#AccessibilityMatters, not #accessibilitymatters).
  • Avoid excessive emoji, which screen readers read aloud individually.
  • Provide captions for video content posted to social platforms.

Training Formats

Quick-Reference Guides

One-page checklists for each content type (blog posts, social media, videos, documents) that content creators can reference during their workflow. See accessibility documentation best practices for effective documentation approaches.

CMS Integration

If your content management system supports accessibility checking (WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore), enable and configure these features. Real-time feedback during content creation is more effective than after-the-fact review.

Review and Feedback

Include accessibility in the editorial review process. Editors should check for heading structure, alt text quality, link text, and plain language alongside grammar and style.

Workshops

Hands-on sessions where content creators audit their own recent content using a screen reader. Hearing their own alt text read aloud by NVDA or VoiceOver is often more persuasive than any guideline document.

Connecting to the Broader Process

Content accessibility is one dimension of the inclusive design process. Content creators should understand:

Key Takeaways

  • Content creators control headings, alt text, link text, language clarity, tables, captions, and document structure, all of which directly affect accessibility.
  • Train on each content type: web content, documents, social media, and video.
  • Integrate accessibility checking into the CMS and editorial review process.
  • Quick-reference guides and hands-on workshops are the most effective training formats for content teams.
  • Content accessibility is part of the broader inclusive design process and should connect to design and development practices.

Sources

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