What are the best practices and standards for content accessibility and inclusivity?

It is imperative never to assume who will be on the receiving end of your communications, which may include not only potential customers, but colleagues who work within your business. It is estimated that at least 1 in 5 of working-age adults are disabled (ONS, 2023), but that only 4% of employees 'disclose' having a disability or condition that may affect one's access needs (Forbes, 2022). Placing accessibility front of mind in your content strategy can ensure you are reaching everyone, regardless of disability, and can help to demonstrate a real tangible commitment to DEI, ultimately showing your customers and colleagues that CX and UX is top of mind.

It's pretty simple - the more people who can enjoy consuming your content, the more people you have to invest in your brand/business.

En mi experiencia, aquel contenido que está abierto a la inclusión tiene mejor rendimiento que aquel que no lo hace. Nunca sabes quién está al otro lado de la pantalla. Por eso es importante incluir ciertas prácticas en la creación de contenido, como por ejemplo: -Subtitular todos tus vídeos -Evitar términos exclusivos o estereotipados -Incluir diversidad de voces y perspectivas (ej. a través de entrevistas, testimonios o colaboraciones con personas de diferentes orígenes, experiencias y puntos de vista). Así conseguiremos que el contenido sea más abierto para todos/as.

Embracing accessibility and inclusivity in your content isn’t just a good practice—it’s a smart business strategy. By ensuring your content can be enjoyed by everyone, including the over one billion people with disabilities, you expand your audience dramatically. This not only enhances your brand’s reputation but also opens up new revenue streams. More importantly, it builds a community where everyone feels valued and heard. Making your content accessible and inclusive isn’t just about avoiding legal pitfalls; it’s about genuinely connecting with a broader audience and enriching your brand’s impact.

Since I create content for/about NGOs, it's especially important that these are designed to be accessible and inclusive to ensure that the message is understood by all target groups and no potential supporters are excluded. An easy first step could be adding alt text for images and diagrams. This not only helps people with visual impairments but also improves search engine ranking. The same goes for adding subtitles to videos, which benefits not only people with disabilities but can also increase overall interaction rates. An important point is that inclusivity and accessibility are not one-time tasks. In my experience, it's crucial to regularly gather feedback from affected individuals to continuously improve content.

Make sure you understand any specific needs of your target audience at the start of any content project. Taking a look at charity and patient support websites can be really helpful to get to know more about how you can cater to different needs and what impact having accessible content can have on the user.

Embracing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is key to ensuring your website is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. These guidelines, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), offer a framework for making content usable for people with various impairments. By aiming for higher conformance levels—from A to AAAA—you enhance accessibility for a broader audience. Tools like WebAIM or WAVE are great for checking your content’s accessibility, providing actionable feedback to help you improve. This commitment not only widens your reach but also deeply enriches the user experience on your site.

Though person-first language may be preferred in some cultures, the Social Model of Disability - which 'says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference' (Scope, 2023) - encourages the use of identity-first language such as 'disabled person', which has been widely-lauded by those in the disabled community, particularly in the UK. This is because the social model helps to frame a person's environment as a barrier to society and not their impairment or condition. Ensuring your content is accessible helps to reinforce this line of thinking, as it removes a person's potential barriers to participation. It is important to always consider an individual's preference, but to be led by best-practice.

He trabajado en Inglaterra, en Espa?a y en Francia. Siempre en el sector de la comunicación. Y, en mi experiencia, estas son las mejores prácticas para aplicar el lenguaje y el dise?o inclusivo: 1- Usar pronombres neutrales 2- Priorizar a las personas en lugar de la condición 3- Ser simple y claro en el lenguaje 4- Seleccionar imágenes inclusivas y representativas 5- Utilizar colores y tama?os de fuente que hagan que el contenido sea fácil de ver y leer para todas las personas.

To create truly inclusive content, focus on language and design that welcomes everyone. Use gender-neutral pronouns and people-first descriptions to respect individual identities and conditions. Simplify your language, cutting out jargon and complex terms, and explain any necessary technical terms. In your visuals, choose images and designs that reflect diverse communities and avoid stereotypes. Ensure your layout is accessible too, with clear fonts, good contrast, and designs that don't rely on color alone for meaning. This approach not only makes your content more accessible but also resonates more deeply by acknowledging and valuing the diversity of your audience.

Conducting user research and testing is essential to create content that truly resonates with your audience. By engaging with users through interviews and surveys, you can delve into their preferences, challenges, and objectives. Tools like Google Forms and SurveyMonkey simplify this data gathering. Developing personas and crafting scenarios help you anticipate user reactions and tailor content accordingly. Additionally, using platforms like UserTesting or UserZoom allows you to observe how users interact with your content in real time, providing insights that can directly influence your creative decisions. This approach ensures your content not only reaches but also effectively communicates with your audience.

Regularly evaluating and refining your content ensures it meets your standards and connects effectively with your audience. Start with a content audit to assess everything from quality to performance. This will highlight areas for improvement. A well-defined content strategy is also crucial; it should detail your goals, define your audience, and clarify your voice and style, guiding all your creative decisions. For an extra edge, use SEO and user experience optimization tools like Yoast or SEMrush. These tools help fine-tune your content for better search engine rankings and a smoother user experience, keeping your material both relevant and engaging.

If you spot your website or channel has some set-backs for accessibility that's out of your control, create a business case for addressing these issues. For example, brand colours not high enough contrast for your font? Speak to your brand, marekting and/or dev team about a fix and highlight the importance of making the change to get buy-in. Sometimes you might need to presuade with the commercial benefits over the ethical and social responsibility.

Lo que mejor me ha funcionado siempre ha sido definir bien los objetivos de la estrategia y del contenido antes de empezar a crearlo. Para ello, documento todos los objetivos del documento, analizo cuál es la audiencia objetivo, utilizo y, por supuesto, me aseguro de que la estrategia incluya consideraciones para garantizar la accesibilidad.

Keep in mind that standards and best practices for accessibility and inclusivity change over time (think about the impact of AI too). So make sure you review your content regularly (set a time and date) to stay in line with current standards - this is how you can make your content last longer, and contribute to your SEO ranking on Google (who loves updated content so you are more likely to appear towards the top of a search results page!)

A produ??o de conteúdo, principalmente aqueles voltados à escrita técnica, deve considerar outros pontoas para além daqueles elencados neste artigo. Por exemplo: - Adotar textos alternativos em imagens: isso ajuda usuários com deficiência visual a compreender o conteúdo visual através de leitores de tela; - Adotar legendas e transcri??es na produ??o de outros tipos de conteúdos, além do textual: isso beneficia usuários surdos ou com deficiência auditiva, proporcionando uma compreens?o completa do conteúdo; - Possibilitar o aumento de fontes: isso beneficia, por exemplo, usuários com baixa vis?o que podem precisar de um texto com fonte maior para leitura.