Writing is a powerful way to communicate your ideas, insights, and stories. But not everyone can access your writing in the same way. Visually impaired readers may face barriers and challenges when trying to read your content. How can you make writing more accessible to visually impaired readers? Here are some tips and best practices to consider.
One of the most important aspects of writing accessibility is the clarity and simplicity of your language. Avoid using jargon, slang, idioms, or complex sentences that may confuse or frustrate your readers. Use active voice, short words, and concrete examples whenever possible. Break up your text into short paragraphs and use subheadings, bullet points, and transitions to guide your readers through your main points. Use a font size and style that is easy to read and contrast well with the background.
Images can enhance your writing by adding visual interest, information, or emotion. But they can also create barriers for visually impaired readers who rely on screen readers or magnifiers to access your content. Screen readers are software applications that convert text and images into speech or braille. To make your images accessible, you need to provide alternative text, or alt text, for each image. Alt text is a brief description of the image that conveys its purpose and content. It should be concise, accurate, and relevant to your writing. You can add alt text to your images using HTML code or tools like WordPress or Google Docs.
Links and headings are another way to help your visually impaired readers navigate your writing. Links are clickable words or phrases that lead to another web page or document. Headings are titles that indicate the structure and hierarchy of your writing. Both links and headings should be descriptive and informative, not vague or generic. For example, instead of using "click here" or "read more" as link text, use the title or topic of the destination page. Similarly, instead of using "Section 1" or "Introduction" as heading text, use a specific and catchy subheading that summarizes the main idea of the section.
The format and tool you use to create and share your writing can also affect its accessibility. Some formats and tools are more compatible with screen readers and magnifiers than others. For example, PDF files are often difficult to read by screen readers unless they are properly tagged and formatted. HTML files are usually more accessible because they allow for more flexibility and customization. You can also use tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to check and improve the accessibility of your documents. These tools have features that can help you add alt text, descriptive links, headings, and other accessibility elements to your writing.
The final tip to make your writing more accessible to visually impaired readers is to test and get feedback. Testing and feedback can help you identify and fix any issues or gaps in your writing accessibility. You can test your writing by using screen readers or magnifiers yourself, or by asking someone who uses them to read your writing and give you feedback. You can also use online tools like WebAIM or WAVE to check and evaluate the accessibility of your web pages or documents. Testing and feedback can help you improve your writing quality and reach more readers.
We all shout "inclusion" but do we really practice it? We need to think how best to reach out to everyone. I am not talking pity parties. I am talking real inclusion. When creating your contents do you have neurodivergent readers in mind? Answer truthfully. For now, practice inclusion, don't just say it!
Ensure the Easy Flow of Ideas When writing, each paragraph is supposed to express an idea. Create a connection between the ideas by using transition sentences. It helps visually impaired readers track progress and understand your topic of discussion better.