All posts made on approved EVMS social media pages must be accessible. Visit the EVMS Social Media website for information about the approval process.
All widely-used social media platforms have tools and features in place to aid in making content easily accessible in-app and or program. This page outlines best practices for posting accessible content.
Hashtags
When using hashtags, capitalize the first letter in each word of your multi-word hashtags to help a screen reader separate words and allow for correct pronunciation. Examples: #WhiteCoatCeremony, #EasternVirginiaMedicalSchool, #ClassOf2023
Images
When posting images (photos, graphics, etc.), add a physical summary that describes the image, known as Alternative Text, or alt text. This is separate than a caption on the post and can be done through the advanced settings features on all major social media platforms.
Alt text should be written in plain language, focused on accuracy, not length. View our guidance on crafting alt text for images.
Images with text
Avoid posting flyers or other images with flattened copy and graphics with heavy copy.
Flattened copy is text on images (JPEG, PNG, GIF), and occasionally PDF files, that has been turned into an object upon the file being exported from its program of creation.
This text cannot be selected by a cursor and cannot be read by assistive technology like screen readers.
Videos and captioning
All video content posted on EVMS Social Media pages must include captions.
There are two types of captions, closed and open. Closed captions can be toggled on and off by the viewer, while Open captions are embedded into the video and are always visible.
View additional guidance on multimedia accessibility.
