Creating Accessible Public Health Communications

Creating accessible and inclusive digital communications is critical for building public health trust and promoting health equity. This webinar by the Public Health Communications Collaborative offers practical tools, tips, and examples for enhancing accessibility in your public health communications.

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Disability Policy Consortium
A civil rights organization
run by and for people with
disabilities.

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Click to edit Master text styles
Advocacy
Research
My Ombudsman
Training & Consulting

3. Importance of Accessible Communications
Requested by the community
Up to 27% of adults in the United States have some type of disability
Social media is crucial for delivering messages
Public health communications are for everyone

4. Guide Overview
Written
Content
Visual Content
Audio & Video
Content
Community
Listening &
User Testing

5. Developing Accessible
Written Content

6. Writing with Plain Language
Writing for Screen Readers
Developing Accessible Written Content

7. Plain Language
Plain language is communication that is clear, accessible, and useful. Using
plain language helps your audience find what they need, understand
information the first time they hear, see, or read it and helps them use
information to meet their needs.
•Use Conversational Language
•Use the Active Voice
•Use Second Person Language

8. Person First vs. Identity First Language
Person
with a disability
Disabled Person
This was the standard for a
long time and it is very
much still in common use.
Many disabled people and
communities prefer this
instead.

9. Writing for Screen Readers
Screen readers are software programs that make digital text
accessible for blind or visually impaired users.
Avoid
•Large blocks of text
•Forced formatting
•Long clickable links
•Overuse of emojis
•Improper capitalization
•Fancy fonts and special characters

10. Example

11. Developing Accessible
Visual Content

12. Alt Text & Image Descriptions
Designing with Accessibility in Mind
Designing Charts and Graphs
Developing Accessible Visual Content

13. Alt Text and Image Descriptions
Alt text is typically a short text that is added to
an image tag within a digital platform and can
range from 100–250 characters.
Image descriptions are typically longer than alt
text and are often located in the body of your
social media post.

14. Alt Text and Image Descriptions

15. Design Accessibility
Perceivable Operable
Useable Robust
Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines
Distinguishable
•Color
•Contrast
•Text size
•Reflow

16. Designing Charts and Graphs
•Don’trely on color alone – use
shapes, patterns or icons
•Use plain language
•Use multiple formats if possible

17. Developing Accessible
Video and Audio Content

18. Captioning
Audio and Written Descriptions of Video Content
Transcripts
Creating Videos in American Sign Language
Developing Accessible Video and Audio Content

19. Captioning & Transcripts
•Closed captions
•Accuracy
•Automatic captions
Captions Transcripts
•Separate file/document
•Contains all spoken
content

20. ASL Videos
•For many Deaf people, American Sign
Language (ASL) is their first language
•Developing content in ASL can create a
deeper connection for D/HH viewers and is
especially important for communicating
critical public health information
•You should prioritize the preferences,
experiences, and perspectives of your target
audience

21. Community Listening and
User Testing

22. Sourcing Input & Feedback
Testing User Experience
Community Listening and User Testing

23. Sourcing Input and Feedback
•Hire disabled people!
•Work with accessibility
consultants & user experts
•Ask for input when it can be
implemented!

25. debeaumont.org
Doing Better By Our
Audiences
Navigating the path toward
more inclusive communications

26. What to
Expect
•Why accessibility matters in
public health
communications
•Considerations for a long-
term accessible
communications strategy
•Advocating for accessibility
in your workplace

27. Inciting action.
Driving change.
The de Beaumont Foundation
creates and invests in bold solutions
that improve the health of
communities across the country.
Our vision is a nation where every
person in every community has the
opportunity to achieve their best
possible health, regardless of where
they live.

28. Accessibility: It’s Our Responsibility
•Creating accessible content is
part of mission-driven work
•Communicators have an
especially important role to play
•Editorial management involves a
UX perspective
•People with lived experience need
communicators to do better
We all have a stake in making communications more accessible

29. Create a Culture of Accessibility
•Make accessibility second nature
in your communications
operations
•Don’t reinvent the wheel — use
existing accessibility resources
•Stick to best practices, not flashy
content trends
Incorporate accessibility practices into day-to-day content creation

30. Advocate for Accessible Communications
•Bottom line: Accessibility isn’t a
nice to have, it’s a must have
•The right thing to do is also the
most effective
•Incorporating accessibility
practices into communications is a
relatively low lift
Explain the necessity and value of accessibility for your organization

31. It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
•Start with a communications audit
•Take a gradual approach to
making communications more
accessible
•Seek growth over perfection
•Be open to learning and
unlearning
Improving accessibility is a long-term commitment

32. Resources
•The Public Health Communicators
Guide to Creating Accessible
Social Media
(www.PublicHealthCollaborative.o
rg)
•Accessible Social
(www.accessible-social.com)
•Platform-specific Help Centers
(LinkedIn, Instagram, X,
Facebook, Pinterest, etc.)
Use these resources to kickstart your organization’s accessibility practices

33. debeaumont.org
[email protected]
Inciting action. Driving change.