Resources for Writing for Web Accessibility

UPDATED MARCH 2017

A large part of web accessibility is creating content which can be easily understood, and writing is often times an overlooked factor. Like coding a website, writing must account for a variety of user conditions and abilities. It’s tricky! Here are some great articles to help.

From 4 syllables

Some great advice from @Writing4Web. This was originally a 7-part series; the articles were restructured since.

• On image alternative text:
  • Text alternatives – a decision tree
  • Long descriptions for images – part 1
  • Long descriptions for images – part 2
  • Writing text alternatives for maps
• Info and relationships – accessibility for web writers
• Sensory characteristics – accessibility for web writers
• Colour usage – accessibility for web writers removed
• Sufficient contrast – accessibility for web writers removed
• Images of text – accessibility for web writers removed

More great resources

• Tips on Writing for Web Accessibility by W3C WAI
• Writing Clearly and Simply by WebAIM
• Writing for Global Audiences – Web Standards Sherpa
• Web Writing Guidelines for Content Contributors – Meet Content
• I Don’t Want to Read More or Click Here – by Karen Mardahl
• WCAG 2.0 for writers – SlideShare
• Sidestepping Ableist Language – web slides by Ashley Bischoff

Techniques from WCAG 2.0

• G153: Making the text easier to read
• G86: Providing a text summary that requires reading ability less advanced than the upper secondary education level
• G130: Providing descriptive headings