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SoMMA Timeline of Events

October 11, 2023 – UCLA Accessible Social Media Training
June 5-8, 2023 – RightsCon, Costa Rica
March 4, 2023 – Cal-TASH Conference, Los Angeles, CA
December 4, 2022 – TASH Conference, Phoenix, AZ
September 29, 2022 – UCLA’s Deaf Awareness Fair

SoMMA Works in Progress

Educational Video
Social Media Toolkit
Manuscript

Accessibility Series via Instagram @ucla.disability.studies

In honor of International Day of People with Disabilities, SoMMA’s research team created a resource toolkit series to encourage accessible practices for social media content. The six series of posts are presented below.

Why You Should Use Closed Captioning

A gold graphic reading “why you should use closed captioning” on a large white speech bubble with a black outline. Above in smaller text reads “a SoMAA Lab x DCP collaboration and below is a graphic of a person watching a video with subtitles.

A gold graphic featuring a quote from Monique Sims (she/her), a 4th year Sociology major + Disability Studies minor who says “Everyone should use closed captioning to accommodate people from different backgrounds. It not only benefits me as a Deaf person for comprehension and including me in conversation and social media, it is also great for those whose first language is not English, those with audio-processing disorders, neurodivergent people, those who lose hearing from old age more.Some people may even use closed captions to practice a second language. It benefits EVERYONE!" The quote is on a white speech bubble with a black outline. In the lower right corner is a photo of Monique, a bubbly young adult brown female-presenting person with dark curly hair and a basic light-colored green top, with a blue comic POW bubble behind her.

A gold graphic with three different shaped white speech bubbles with black outlines reading “what is closed captioning? Closed captioning (a.k.a. subtitles) provides a transcript of audio in a video, including dialogue and sound effects. This tool helps ensure understanding of the content of the video for all people, regardless of ability. Improve accessibility AND boost viewership!” A black bar at the bottom reads “BE AN ALLY BY…” leading to the next slide.

A gold graphic titled “adding closed captions to videos” on a white speech bubble with a black outline. It reads “Each platform has their own process for adding subtitles to video content.” above caption icons for Instagram and TikTok, then “There are also plenty of good (& free!) captioning apps.”

Why You Should Care About Color Contrast

A gold graphic titled “why you should care about color contrast” on a large white speech bubble with a black outline. Above in smaller text reads “a UCLA collaboration” and in the bottom corners are the Social Media Access for All DS Lab and Disabilities & Computing Program logos. In the center is a dark blue square with three shades of blue text, exemplifying color contrast.

A gold graphic featuring a quote from Christopher Ikonomou (xe/he), a 4th year Communication major and Disability Studies minor who says "Bad color contrast is the foremost inaccessible thing I experience online. There is so much shame that comes with not being able to engage with a post because you literally cannot read it. As a visually impaired artist and designer, I know for certain that you can still make beautiful graphics while making sure text is accessible!" The quote is on a white speech bubble with a black outline. In the lower right corner is a photo of Christopher, a white genderqueer man with short brown hair, glasses, a black jacket over a white shirt, and a big smile, with a blue comic POW bubble behind him.

A gold graphic with three different speech bubbles with black outlines reading “what is color contrast? On social media, color contrast is the difference between a background and a foreground color. Accessible text must be at least 4.5x darker than the background color, or else it is unreadable to visually impaired or colorblind people, as well as those with processing disorders. Accessibility can still be aesthetically pleasing!” A black bar at the bottom reads “BE AN ALLY BY…” leading to the next slide.

A gold graphic titled “using proper color contrast” in a white speech bubble with a black outline. Below is a color contrast accessibility chart comparing different foreground and background color combinations and rating them poor or good. Below reads “Google "color contrast checker" to find a variety of free tools to check the color contrast of your graphics!”

Why You Should Use #CamelCase

A gold graphic titled “why you should use #CamelCase” on a white speech bubble with a black outline. Above the bubble reads “a UCLA collaboration” and in the bottom corners are the Social Media Access for All DS Lab and Disabilities & Computing Program logos. In the center is a graphic of a smartphone with text bubbles and hashtags.

A gold graphic featuring a quote from Christopher Ikonomou (xe/he), a 4th year Communication major and Disability Studies minor who says "It seems like such a small thing, but when you rely on accessibility devices like a screen reader or are visually impaired, Camel Case can help make an inaccessible space like social media just a little more hospitable. If we're going to use hashtags to gain exposure online, we should also make sure people can actually understand them!" The quote is on a white speech bubble with a black outline. In the lower right corner is a photo of Christopher, a white genderqueer man with short brown hair, glasses, a black jacket over a white shirt, and a big smile, with a blue comic POW bubble behind him.

A gold graphic with three different speech bubbles with black outlines reading “what is camel case? Camel Case is a writing convention where the first letter of each distinct word within a compound word (ex:PayPal) or string of words (ex: Happy Pride Month) is capitalized. This makes sure that screen readers (and humans!) can distinguish between words within hashtags so they don't read like gibberish. Make your posts as understandable as possible!” A black bar at the bottom reads “BE AN ALLY BY…” leading to the next slide.

A gold graphic titled “using camel case” in a white speech bubble with a black outline. Below reads “Simply capitalize the first letter of each word in your hashtags!” with examples including #BruinProud, #DisabilityPrideMonth, and #Mastercard including their inaccessible counterparts.

Why You Should Use Tone Indicators

A blue graphic featuring a quote from Ruanne Catapang (she/her), a 4th year Psychology major and Disability Studies minor who says “Tone indicators can be really helpful for clarifying the intended reading tone of written text. For example, I've encountered many texts where people said something and I didn't know if they were sarcastic or not, leaving me confused for a bit on their intention. In cases like that, it would be helpful if they had added a tone indicator like “/s” after their text to note that they mean it sarcastically. So, I think tone indicators are important because it can provide more clarity for anyone.” The quote is in a white speech bubble with a black outline. In the lower right corner is a photo of Luanne, a female-presenting Filipina with tan skin and dark brown hair with ashe blond highlights wearing a cream colored sweater and a big smile, with a yellow comic POW bubble behind her.

A blue graphic with three different speech bubbles with black outlines reading “what are tone indicators? Tone indicators are written shorthand or abbreviations of words used to convey tone and intention. They are especially used in text messages, text-based online communities, and on social media, where miscommunication and misinterpretation is common. Avoid confusion and provide clarity and reassurance!” A black bar at the bottom reads “BE AN ALLY BY…” leading to the next slide.

A blue graphic titled “using tone indicators on social media” in a white speech bubble with a black outline. Below read “To use tone indicators, add an abbreviation that conveys your tone to the end of your message. The abbreviation consists of a forward slash (“/”) with a letter or a few letters that correspond to a particular meaning. Swipe to the next slide to see a list of the most common tone indicators.”

A blue graphic titled “common tone indicators” in a white speech bubble with a black outline. Below is a chart including /j = joking, /hj = half-joking, /s = sarcastic, /srs = serious, /p = platonic, /r - romantic, /l or /ly = lyrics, /t = teasing, /nm = not mad or upset, /nc or /neg = negative connotation, /pc or /pos = positive connotation, and /lh = lighthearted.

Why You Should Use Alternative Text & Image Descriptions

A blue graphic featuring a quote from Christopher Ikonomou (xe/he), a 4th year Communication major and Disability Studies minor who says “It's frustrating how people assume that just because someone is consuming visual media, that they must have perfect vision. People of all visual abilities should be able to engage with social media, which is why telling the story of your photos (a.k.a. image descriptions) is so important. Take a few extra moments to be inclusive!” In the lower right corner is a photo of Christopher, a white genderqueer man with short brown hair, glasses, a black jacket over a white shirt, and a big smile, with a gold comic POW bubble behind him.

A blue graphic with three different speech bubbles with black outlines reading “what are alt text & image descriptions? Alt text and image descriptions both offer descriptions of visual content. Alt text includes the most important details about an image and can only be read by a screen reader. Image descriptions help interpret the image more in depth and are seen in the caption or comments of a social media post. Ensure that everyone can experience your content!” A black bar at the bottom reads “BE AN ALLY BY…” leading to the next slide.

A blue graphic titled “adding alt text to your posts” in a white speech bubble with a black outline. Below reads in white text: “Make it short and sweet! Alt text is for the essential details about an image. Example: Cartoon stack of polaroid pictures showing different people. Each platform has a different place for alt text. On Instagram, find it in Advanced Settings. On Twitter, click ‘Add description.’” To the right of the white text is a graphic of multiple polaroids showing two smiling individuals with black hair.

Closed Captions vs Subtitles

A light blue rectangle reads “what are closed captions” in white text above the dark blue background. A bright yellow box is below filled with black text reading “closed captioning proves a transcript of audio in a video, including dialogue and sound effects. This tool helps ensure understanding of the audio content of the video for all people, regardless of ability.”

A light blue rectangle just like the previous slide at the top of the dark blue background reads “what are subtitles?” In white text. Below this is a yellow rectangle with black text inside that reads “subtitles prove information that translates spoken dialogue that is in another language.”

A light blue rectangle reads “how do I add closed captions to my video content?“. Below this box, white text reads “each platform has their own process for adding closed captions to video content”. An instagram icon is placed to the left of the post with a white arrow pointing to a yellow sticker icon described to be the “sticker icon found on instagram stories.” Next, a white arrow points from the yellow sticker icon to a blue and white captions button on the right, showing the steps you can take to add captions to an instagram post. Below this a black, white, red and blue TikTok icon is present with an arrow pointing right to the black and white captions button on TikTok to describe how to add captions to a TikTok video.

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