The Hidden Layer of Digital Accessibility: Are You Leaving Customers Behind?

Many businesses today understand the importance of having an accessible website. But what most miss is that accessibility doesn’t stop at your homepage. Your digital presence includes everything you share online—emails, social media posts, downloadable PDFs, etc, and if those pieces aren’t accessible, you’re leaving people behind.

Making your digital assets more accessible isn’t just about following rules—it’s about serving people. And when you do that well, everyone benefits.

The Curb Cut Effect: A Lesson in Universal Design

Curb cuts—those small sidewalk ramps at street corners—were originally designed for people using wheelchairs. But who else benefits?

• Parents with strollers
• Travelers with rolling suitcases
• Cyclists
• Delivery drivers with dollies

That small change made life easier for everyone. The same is true for digital accessibility. When you write alt text for images, create accessible PDFs, or make your emails readable for screen readers, you’re not just helping people with disabilities—you’re improving the experience for all users.

Let’s Talk About Emails

Your emails are a key part of your communication strategy. If they’re not accessible, you’re cutting off a portion of your audience.

Quick Tips for Accessible Emails:

• Use clear, high-contrast fonts and colors.
• Add alt text to images so screen readers can describe them.
• Avoid “image-only” emails—include real text for important information.
• Use headers and simple layouts that make it easy to follow.

Social Media Shouldn’t Leave Anyone Out

Social platforms move fast, but accessibility still matters. And it’s easy to improve!

How to Make Your Social Posts More Accessible:

• Add alt text to every image you post. Most platforms now support this.
• Use CamelCase for hashtags (#StartWithAccessibility instead of #startwithaccessibility).
• Avoid using too many emojis in a row—they confuse screen readers.
• Add subtitles or captions to video content.

PDFs Can Be a Roadblock—Or a Doorway

A lot of companies still share important info through PDFs. But many PDFs aren’t accessible, which means screen readers can’t interpret them, and people using assistive tech hit a dead end.

Tips for Accessible PDFs:

• Use proper heading structure (H1, H2, etc.) inside the document.
• Tag images with alt text.
• Make sure text is selectable (not just a scanned image).
• Run your PDF through an accessibility checker before publishing.

Accessibility Is an Act of Service

It’s easy to think of accessibility as extra work or red tape. But what it really is—is an opportunity. An opportunity to include more people. To show your audience that you see them. To provide a better experience for everyone.

When we make our emails easier to read, our social posts easier to understand, and our PDFs easier to use, we make the digital world better—more human.

Let’s Do Better, Together

Start small. Choose one area—your emails, your social posts, or your documents—and commit to making it more accessible this month. Then build from there.

And if you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Let’s talk about how to make your digital presence work for everyone.