Creating Accessible and Inclusive Content

Creating accessible, inclusive content is essential to reaching the widest possible audience for your website. There are many tools and tactics to help you do that, including using plain language and optimizing page structures.

Download the Reference Sheet

What is accessible and inclusive content? Why is it important?

At Yale, we’re committed to promoting a respectful, accessible, and inclusive community on campus. That commitment extends to our websites, which, are often the initial point of contact with our audiences. We want to ensure that all potential users, including people with disabilities, are able to easily access Yale information and services.

Siteowners and content editors play a big role in delivering an equitable web experience. Writing accessible and inclusive content means knowing what’s important to the user experience and learning tactics on how to optimize that within the content you create and/or manage.

Use plain language

Plain language helps users find what they need and achieve their goals by using simple, clear, jargon-free language:

  • Use short sentences, ideally with one concept per sentence.
  • Use one broader concept per paragraph.
  • Avoid jargon or technical language that may be unfamiliar to some of your audience.
  • Replace any slang or idioms.
  • Instead of “Bang for your buck,” you could use “Valuable.” For “Get the ball rolling,” you could use “Begin.”

Emphasize readability

Readability matters. Before launching, test the readability level of your content. Ideally, the writing should aim for grade 10 or below. You can use the Hemingway editor app to determine your content’s grade level. You can also use the app to troubleshoot complex sentences, excessive use of adverbs, and more.

Some content may contain verbal and structural complexity. When you must use complex or lengthy text, such as a disclosure, disclaimer, or set of instructions:

  • Write concisely.
  • Create a separate section for this text that makes it clear what it is.
  • Use formatting (bullet points, numbering, subheads) to help your users view and understand the content.

Review your content to make sure you use the same terms consistently throughout your site. Never use an acronym without also spelling it out when you first use it.

Structure logical and scannable content

On the web, heading use goes beyond visual formatting. They create HTML tags that tell screen readers and search engines what your page is about, how it is structured and what content is prioritized.

Follow these basic accessible heading structure guidelines:

  • Each header should occur in descending order of rank/level.
  • Avoid skipping heading ranks, which can be confusing to both users and search engines.
  • The exception is after a subsection has been closed. If the subsection closes with an h4, the next subsection can begin with an h2).

It’s also important to use headings with clear, descriptive language to break up text and guide users scanning the page. See our resources on Writing for SEO and Web Writing Best Practices about creating user-friendly and keyword optimized headers.

Create meaningful context

Descriptive context is particularly important in creating an equitable experience for individuals using screen readers or other assistive technologies.

  • Avoid directional language: “read below” or “click here.”
  • Make sure any images that convey information have an alternative text.
  • Describe what is happening in the image (e.g. “Students studying in a library”)
  • Indicate document type, if you are linking to a non-HTML page: “Read the manual [PDF]” or “Review the schedule [Excel]”.

Use an accessibility validator

While it is important to be conscious of accessibility issues while creating content, you also have access to a powerful evaluation tool to review your content. Yale University offers website owners access to Siteimprove, a self-service application that helps improve a website’s quality and accessibility. You can use Siteimprove’s Accessibility module’s Warnings and Reviews to learn how to check and remediate accessibility issues.

To get started with Siteimprove, send an email to yalesites@yale.edu with the site you would like access to by providing the name and URL.

To address issues on a page-by-page basis, you can use Editoria11y, a Drupal-based accessibility checker available in the platform. Learn more about Editoria11y.

External reference links