Guidelines on Making Communications Products and Activities Accessible

Write for the widest audience in plain language by:

• 4.3.1Ensuring a maximum reading level of Grade 8 (Secondary 2 in Quebec);
• 4.3.2Using simple and common words;
• 4.3.3Using short and simple sentences and paragraphs;
• 4.3.4Using the active voice;
• 4.3.5Putting statements in a positive form;
• 4.3.6Avoiding jargon, idioms and expressions;
• 4.3.7Using descriptive links;

Use clear and consistent layouts by:

• 4.6.1Using fonts and font sizes that are easy to read;
• 4.6.2Using colours that provide high contrast between the text and the background;
• 4.6.3Using titles and headings that describe the topic or purpose;
• 4.6.4Starting with the most important information;
• 4.6.5Avoiding the use of emojis instead of text;
• 4.6.6Using short, bulleted lists when possible;
• 4.6.7Using tables to organize complex data;
• 4.6.8Using more than colour when conveying information visually, for example, using patterns for different areas in charts and graphs;
• 4.6.9Limiting flashing elements in visual products and ensuring that products do not have anything that flashes more than three times in one second;
• 4.6.10Capitalizing each word in a hashtag;

Build in accessibility features for audio and visuals products by:

• 4.7.1Writing alternative text (alt text) for informative visuals;
• 4.7.2Including null alternative text (alt text) for decorative visuals;
• 4.7.3Writing long descriptions for complex visuals when the information is not fully captured in the surrounding text;
• 4.7.4Providing audio descriptions or text descriptions for videos when important visual information is not fully captured as part of the audio;
• 4.7.5Including closed captions when posting videos to websites and social media, and open captions when closed captions are not an option; and
• 4.7.6Writing transcripts of audio and video products.