Digital Content Accessibility for Partners

The National Trails office wants to share digital content like videos, social media posts, research, and images. Sometimes we can’t share your content because it does not meet federal accessibility standards. Not only are we required by law to adhere to these standards, but we also want all people to be able to access and understand the information we share online.

Here are a few ways you can make your digital content accessible. This is not an exhaustive list, so please reach out with questions.

Tips for making your digital content accessible.

Content	Requirements	Notes
Images	Provide alternative descriptions.	Describe the image. Find out more about writing alt text.
Videos	Must include captions & audio descriptions.	Learn more about making videos accessible.
Audio-only Content	Provide a transcript of the audio.	You can find many free transcription services online.
Live broadcasts	Must have real-time captions & audio descriptions.	Real-time captions can be challenging and expensive. Consider alternatives to live broadcasts if possible.
PDF & other documents	Must be accessible for a screen reader & other details which enhance the document for inclusivity.	PDFs require a lot of work to make accessible; avoid them if possible. Learn more about accessibility for Microsoft office and Adobe documents.
Maps	Interactive – accessible underlying structure; Static – subjective description required.	Learn more about making maps accessible.
Children’s Content	Must be accessible, inclusive, and age appropriate.	Depending on how you are making the content, use the info above to make content accessible.

Contact the National Trails Office