At Cerulean Orchid we are continuously learning. Being inclusive and accessible are incredibly important to us, so we’ve been searching out ways we can make our website and social media more accessible for everyone. Along the way we’ve found some fantastic resources on internet accessibility, and we would love to share them with you! This page will likely always be a work in progress; there is always more learning to do. We hope that sharing what we’ve learned and providing links to additional resources will encourage others to make accessibility a priority.

If you have suggestions regarding accessibility on Cerulean Orchid, we would love to hear it! Please send us a message at admin@ceruleanorchid.com

Instagram:

• Use camel case for hashtags with multiple words (#ThisIsAnExample)

• Keep hashtags and @’s at the end of the post.

• Writing alt text for images - 125 characters or less. Guidelines here.

• To do this, pick image(s) to post. When you hit the last screen, click “Advanced Settings” at the bottom. There is an option to write alt text for each separate image (if multiple).

• Write an image description for the main body of the post if more detail than alt text is needed. Refer to the link above for guidelines.

• Limit emoji use and do not use them in between sentences.

• Limit use of all caps to prevent confusion.

• Ideal contrast between text color and background is 4.5 to 1. Try not to use bright, highly contrasted colors.

• Avoid green and red, or blue and yellow color combinations for text readability.

• If it is an image of text, try to have a solid background or something simple.

Website:

• Writing alt text for images - 125 characters or less. Guidelines here.

• Limit use of all caps to prevent confusion for screen readers.

• Ideal contrast between text color and background is 4.5 to 1. Try not to use bright, highly contrasted colors.

• Avoid green and red, or blue and yellow color combinations for text readability.

• If it is an image of text, try to have a solid background or something simple. Patterns can make text harder to read.

• Try to have links underlined and/or have a mouse-over animation.

• Videos should have captions.

• Make sure buttons have descriptive text on them if possible. For example, “Attach Files” instead of “Click Here”.

• Try to avoid placeholder text for forms (text that disappears when you click or type), use labels instead.

• https://wave.webaim.org/extension/ is a great extension to check the accessibility of the website, but it can be a little overwhelming.

• Try to eliminate or limit your use of idioms or figures of speech. Communicate in a clear and simple manner.

• When applicable, use lists or bullet points. These are much easier to read than a wall of text.

• Use simple and consistent layouts over complex or cluttered layouts.