Make Tech Accessible: Avoid Lawsuits, Reach Everyone

Making technology accessible isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s a professional imperative. Ignoring accessibility alienates a significant portion of the population and opens you up to legal risks. Are you ready to make your digital content truly inclusive?

1. Caption Your Videos and Meetings

Video content is powerful, but it’s useless to someone who can’t hear it. Similarly, if you are holding a meeting online, people need to be able to follow along. Adding captions is essential. Thankfully, many platforms now offer automatic captioning.

Pro Tip: Don’t rely solely on automatic captions. While they’ve improved, they’re not perfect. Always review and edit captions for accuracy, especially when dealing with technical jargon or proper names.

For Zoom Zoom meetings:

1. As the host, click on the “Live Transcript” button in the meeting toolbar.
2. Select “Enable Auto-Transcription.”
3. To improve accuracy, designate someone to manually type captions by selecting “Assign a participant to type.”

For Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams meetings:

1. Start the meeting.
2. Click on the “More actions” (three dots) button in the meeting toolbar.
3. Select “Turn on live captions.”

For pre-recorded videos, consider using a service like Otter.ai Otter.ai to generate transcripts and then use those transcripts to create captions. You can then upload the captions to platforms like YouTube.

Common Mistake: Relying on YouTube’s auto-generated captions without editing them. These can be notoriously inaccurate and even humorous in the wrong context.

2. Use the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office Suite—Word, Excel, PowerPoint—is a workhorse for many professionals. But are your documents accessible? The built-in Accessibility Checker can help.

Pro Tip: Run the Accessibility Checker early and often during the document creation process, not just as a final step. This makes it easier to address issues before they become deeply embedded in the document.

Here’s how to use it in Microsoft Word:

1. Click the “File” tab.
2. Select “Info.”
3. Click “Check for Issues” and then “Check Accessibility.”
4. The Accessibility Checker pane will open on the right, listing any issues found.
5. Click on each issue to get guidance on how to fix it. This often involves adding alt text to images, fixing heading structures, or ensuring sufficient color contrast.

The process is similar in Excel and PowerPoint. Pay special attention to:

• Alt text for images and charts: Describe the visual content for screen reader users.
• Sufficient color contrast: Ensure text is readable against the background.
• Heading styles: Use proper heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to create a logical document structure.
• Table structure: Ensure tables have clear headers and are not used for layout purposes.

Common Mistake: Ignoring warnings about low color contrast. Just because you can see it doesn’t mean everyone can. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 is generally recommended for body text, according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) WCAG.

3. Add Alt Text to Images on Social Media

Social media is a vital communication channel. Make your posts accessible by adding alternative text (alt text) to images. Alt text provides a description of the image for people who are blind or visually impaired. Without it, they miss out on the visual content.

Pro Tip: Be specific and descriptive in your alt text. Instead of “Image of a dog,” try “Golden retriever sitting in a park, wearing a blue bandana.” Context matters!

Here’s how to add alt text on LinkedIn:

1. When creating a post, upload your image.
2. Click on the “Add alt text” link that appears on the image preview.
3. Enter a concise and descriptive alt text.
4. Save your changes.

On Facebook:

1. When creating a post, upload your image.
2. Hover over the image and click the “Edit” icon (pencil).
3. Click “Alt Text.”
4. Enter a concise and descriptive alt text.
5. Save your changes.

Common Mistake: Using generic alt text like “image” or “photo.” This provides no value to screen reader users. I had a client last year who used their company logo as a profile picture on LinkedIn, but the alt-text was just “logo”. We updated it to “The Smith & Jones Law Firm logo: a stylized scales of justice in blue and gold” — much more descriptive.

4. Design with Keyboard Navigation in Mind

Not everyone uses a mouse. Many people rely on keyboard navigation to interact with websites and applications. Ensure your designs are accessible to keyboard users.

Pro Tip: Test your website or application using only the keyboard. Can you easily navigate to all interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields) using the Tab key? Is the focus indicator (the visual cue that shows which element is currently selected) clearly visible?

Here’s what to look for:

• Logical tab order: Elements should be focusable in a logical order that follows the visual layout of the page.
• Visible focus indicator: There should be a clear visual indication of which element has focus (e.g., a highlighted border or a change in background color).
• Skip navigation links: Provide a “Skip to main content” link at the top of the page to allow keyboard users to bypass repetitive navigation menus.
• Keyboard access to all functionality: Ensure that all interactive elements can be activated using the keyboard (e.g., using the Enter key to click a button).

Common Mistake: Hiding the focus indicator with CSS. While you might think it looks cleaner, it makes your website unusable for keyboard users. This is especially common with developers who are trying to create a “minimalist” design. Don’t sacrifice accessibility for aesthetics.

5. Provide Transcripts for Audio Content

Just as videos need captions, audio content needs transcripts. Transcripts provide a text-based version of the audio, making it accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Pro Tip: Offer transcripts in a readily accessible format, such as a downloadable text file or a separate page on your website. Make sure the transcript is clearly linked from the audio player.

Here’s how to create a transcript:

1. Use transcription software or a transcription service like Rev Rev to create a text-based version of the audio.
2. Proofread the transcript for accuracy. Pay close attention to proper names, technical terms, and any other potentially ambiguous words.
3. Format the transcript for readability. Break up long blocks of text into smaller paragraphs, and use headings and subheadings to organize the content.
4. Upload the transcript to your website or provide a link to a downloadable file.

Common Mistake: Thinking that a summary of the audio content is sufficient. A summary is not a substitute for a full transcript. People need access to the complete information.

6. Use Clear and Simple Language

Accessibility isn’t just about accommodating disabilities; it’s about making content understandable for everyone. Use clear and simple language in your writing.

Pro Tip: Avoid jargon, technical terms, and complex sentence structures. Write as if you’re explaining the topic to someone who is not an expert. Tools like the Hemingway Editor Hemingway Editor can help you identify overly complex sentences and suggest simpler alternatives.

Here are some tips for using clear and simple language:

• Use short sentences and paragraphs.
• Avoid jargon and technical terms. If you must use them, define them clearly.
• Use active voice.
• Use concrete language.
• Avoid idioms and metaphors. These can be confusing for non-native speakers.

Common Mistake: Assuming that everyone understands your industry jargon. Remember that your audience may include people with varying levels of expertise. I once reviewed a legal document filled with terms that even other lawyers found confusing. We rewrote it in plain language, and the client was much happier.

7. Consider Colorblindness

Colorblindness affects a significant portion of the population. Design your websites and applications with colorblindness in mind.

Pro Tip: Don’t rely solely on color to convey information. Use other visual cues, such as text labels, icons, or patterns, to supplement color. Tools like the Colorblindly browser extension Colorblindly can simulate how your designs will look to people with different types of colorblindness.

Here are some tips for designing for colorblindness:

• Avoid using red and green together. This is the most common type of colorblindness.
• Use high contrast between text and background.
• Use patterns and textures to differentiate elements.
• Test your designs with colorblindness simulators.

Common Mistake: Using a red/green color scheme to indicate success/failure. This is a classic accessibility mistake. Use icons or text labels instead.

By implementing these accessible technology standards, professionals across all industries can ensure that their digital content is inclusive and accessible to everyone. This is not just a matter of compliance; it’s a matter of good business and ethical responsibility. Consider the ROI of accessibility and how to get there.

Don’t let accessibility be an afterthought. Integrate these practices into your daily workflow. Start with one small change today—adding alt text to your next social media post, perhaps. That single action can make a world of difference for someone else. Also, remember that ethical AI should be accessible to everyone.