Course Curriculum

Complete Guide to Inclusive & Accessible Content Creation

5sections
58lectures
5h 18mtotal

What you’ll learn

  • Embed inclusion & accessibility into your already existing social media creation process

  • Develop confidence to talk about basic diversity and inclusion topics

  • Master the principles of creating accessible content

  • Become a good ally, ditch performative allyship

  • Learn to use inclusive frameworks for writing and design

  • Understand the realities of minoritised communities using on facts and stories

01

Everyone starts here - essential foundation

  • Learning objectives

    Explore six learning objectives that illuminate minoritized communities, inclusive language, allyship, and accessible content. Apply foundational diversity principles to practical social media guidance, branding, and content creation workflows.

    6:07
  • Minorities or minoritised?

    Explore the distinction between minorities and minoritized groups, examine lived experiences and representation, build empathy, and assess allyship—good and bad—along with your sphere of influence as a social media creator.

    2:45
  • Lived experiences by numbers

    Explore global statistics on discrimination across LGBT+ communities, women, people with disabilities, and minority ethnic groups, informing inclusive and accessible content creation.

    8:43
  • Empathy exercise

    Practice empathy by imagining the real-world challenges faced by minoritized groups, from housing and pay gaps to accessibility and safety, to become an ally and change maker.

    2:57
  • Why the fight against intolerance is far from being over

    Examine how intolerance persists despite progress through real-world harassment against LGBT+ people in London. Highlight inclusive content creation and safeguarding audiences amid rising hate crimes.

    4:13
  • Social media as the vehicle for change

    Leverage your social media sphere of influence to promote inclusivity and drive positive social change. Use responsible content and collaborations to raise awareness, challenge injustice, and advance human rights.

    4:48
  • Allyship and social media

    Practice allyship by amplifying minoritized voices, using your privilege and influence to take meaningful action, avoiding performative gestures, and following practical social media guidance.

    4:58
  • Identities, intersectionality, privilege and power

    Explore identities and intersectionality, and how privilege and power shape experiences. Learn the distinction between intention and impact, the pyramid of hate, and practical actions for inclusive, equitable content creation.

    5:57
  • Concepts that can save you a lot of headache

    Explore the definitions of diversity, equity, justice, equality, and inclusion, distinguish bias, prejudice, and microaggressions, and examine social media issues like color blindness, appropriation, tokenism, and gaslighting for inclusive change.

    9:17
  • Devastating real life impact of social media

    Explore how the pyramid of hate shows biased attitudes, discrimination, systemic discrimination, and violence arising from social media, amplifying real-world harm like the Rohingya genocide.

    9:10
  • Impact vs intention

    Explore impact vs intention in inclusion, recognizing that good intentions can harm and that the pyramid of hate and the impact–intention matrix guide learning and accountable action.

    3:59
  • You and your contribution

    Reflect on your privilege and power, compare with diverse groups, and use the implicit association test to uncover biases, then pursue positive action, avoid positive discrimination, and listen.

    7:48
02

101 on diversity dimensions such as LGBT+, disability and ethnic minorities

  • Chapter intro

    Explore practical allyship in inclusive content creation on social media, focusing on gender, sex, attraction, LGBT+ terminology, and feminism to support minoritized communities.

    3:17
  • Understanding the difference between gender identity, gender expression and sex

    Explore the LGBT+ umbrella by clarifying the differences between sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, attraction, and biological sex, including intersex variations, and learn how these concepts form a continuum.

    7:55
  • Deep dive into gender identities and attraction

    Explore LGBT+ concepts, including transgender, non-binary, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and learn respectful ways to discuss and reflect on personal identity scales.

    10:22
  • Intersectional feminism

    Explore intersectional feminism as a framework for understanding how racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism, and transphobia intersect to shape marginalized individuals' experiences, informing LGBT+ equality and inclusive content creation.

    2:45
  • Introduction to disability

    Clarify disability, impairment, and long-term condition definitions and the biopsychosocial model, highlighting barriers and how to interact with people who have disabilities.

    7:58
  • Models of disability and the way forward

    Explore how the biopsychosocial model links biology, psychology, and social factors to disability. Compare it with the social model and learn to remove barriers for inclusive, rights-based participation.

    10:46
  • Forms of disabilities

    Discover nine forms of disabilities: physical, visual, hearing, speech, mental health, intellectual, learning, neurological, and neurodiverse—and practical accommodations for inclusive content creation.

    7:40
  • Interacting with disabled people

    Learn respectful interaction with people with disabilities by asking before helping, speaking directly to them, and avoiding assumptions or judgments; view disability as a social barrier, not a biological determinant.

    3:36
  • Reflection exercise - disability

    Explore the basics of ethnicity, race, nationality, and cultural heritage through a reflection exercise, examining racism in the US and the UK and allyship in practice.

    2:27
  • What do jelly beans have to do with race, ethnicity, nationality and cultural he

    Explore race, ethnicity, nationality, and cultural heritage through a jelly bean analogy, showing race as a social construct and the importance of respecting diverse identities.

    4:03
  • History of racism in US and UK

    Explore the history and impact of racism in the US and the UK, from slavery and redlining to housing and education disparities, and analyze how systems perpetuate inequality.

    5:00
  • The 4 dimensions of racism

    Explore the four dimensions of racism: individual, institutional, structural, and cultural, and examine how discriminatory attitudes, policies, wealth gaps, and media stereotypes sustain inequality, with a call to be anti-racist.

    2:04
  • Antiracism

    Engage in active, education-based anti-racism to dismantle racist systems and challenge personal biases. Listen to marginalized voices, take actionable steps, share petitions, and commit to continuous learning.

    3:34
  • The impact of laws and public perception on minoritized groups

    Explore how laws and public perception shape LGBT+ self-expression across generations, from decriminalization to marriage equality. Learn how social media amplifies marginalized voices and informs inclusive practices.

    4:53
03

Inclusive Social Media Principles - inclusion & accessibility frameworks to know

  • Access vs accessibility & reflection exercise

    Learn the difference between access and accessibility, apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines covering perceivable, operable, and understandable content, and practice inclusive language through a reflection exercise for creator actions.

    5:17
  • Digital accessibility with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

    apply WCAG to create accessible web content for people with disabilities, focusing on perceivable, operable (keyboard navigation), understandable, and robust pillars for social media accessibility.

    4:44
  • WCAG Perceivable pillar - captions and transcripts

    Explore the WCAG perceivable pillar by examining captions, subtitles, and transcripts, and learn when to use closed captions, subtitles, or transcripts for accessibility and deaf or hard of hearing audiences.

    4:17
  • WCAG Perceivable pillar - alt text and image descriptions

    Learn how alt text and image descriptions support accessibility for screen readers and search engines, with concise guidelines and the option of longer captions when needed.

    4:13
  • WCAG Perceivable pillar -visual cues, sequence and use of text

    Apply the perceivable pillar principles by avoiding reliance on colors or shapes for meaning, ensuring meaningful sequence, and prioritizing text over images so screen readers can access and convey information.

    3:14
  • WCAG Perceivable pillar - text contrast, colour, size and font

    Meet WCAG guidelines for contrast: 4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text, ensure at least 18 point readability, use dark text on light backgrounds, and choose sans serif fonts.

    4:23
  • WCAG Operable pillar

    Learn how the operable pillar ensures navigable content by avoiding flashes, adding trigger warnings when needed, using descriptive link text, informative headings, and clear location cues in a structured document.

    1:57
  • WCAG Understandable pillar

    Explore the WCAG understandable pillar to craft plain, accessible social media content. Apply plain language and concise explanations to reach users with cognitive disabilities and assistive technology.

    4:27
  • Accessibility considerations outside of WCAG

    Apply accessibility best practices beyond WCAG guidelines by using CamelCase hashtags, mindful emoji use, and screen reader considerations to create inclusive social content that is perceivable, operable, and understandable.

    4:09
  • Inclusive content: Topic, narrative and imagery

    Explore how topic, narrative, and imagery shape inclusive content by using respectful language, avoiding stereotypes, consulting communities, and ensuring diverse, empowered representation.

    11:12
  • Inclusive content: Trigger warnings

    Learn how trigger warnings on social media signal potentially distressing topics, empower audience choice, and build a safe, inclusive environment without censorship.

    4:25
  • Inclusive content: Gender neutral language

    Learn to use gender neutral language to put people first and promote inclusivity. Discover pronoun usage, including they/them, asking for pronouns, and avoiding gendered terms to improve accessibility and respect.

    8:02
  • Inclusive content: Disability inclusive language

    Emphasize person-first language to portray people with disabilities as equal, capable individuals, and shift from medical to social models by focusing on abilities and respectful terms.

    5:34
  • Inclusive content: Discriminatory language

    Explore five pillars of inclusive language by avoiding stereotypes, heterosexual assumptions, and condescending euphemisms, while upholding consent for information shared, to combat racism, ableism, and homophobia.

    10:24
  • Actions you can take as a creator - collaboration

    Collaborate with smaller or marginalized creators who are different from you to amplify diverse voices and promote representation. Promote fair pay, report online discrimination, and use your influence for good.

    4:36
  • Actions you can take as a creator - fair pay

    Advocate for fair pay for creators by sharing brand deals benchmarks and using crowd-sourced data platforms to measure pay equity.

    5:22
  • Action you can take as a creator - minimise online discrimination

    As a creator, report and minimize online discrimination to protect followers, foster an inclusive community, and use platform settings to filter comments and prevent abuse.

    2:14
  • Actions you can take as a creator - political and financial influence

    Use your creator influence to support marginalized groups—sign petitions, vote for officials who prioritize their rights, donate to advocacy organizations, and create accessible, inclusive content that counters discrimination.

    5:28
04

Practical guidance on IG, TikTok and branding

  • Chapter intro

    Explore how to apply inclusive social media principles across platforms, with a recommendation to review branding basics to strengthen your marketing across channels.

    0:31
  • Instagram profile settings for inclusion

    Discover how to make your Instagram profile inclusive by adding pronouns, reporting discrimination, and filtering comments while using captions, image descriptions, and privacy settings to foster allyship.

    9:49
  • Instagram accessibility features

    Apply inclusive creator principles to Instagram posts and carousels with alt text, captions, and accessible design; optimize contrast, font size, and tagging, and follow reel and story accessibility practices.

    12:12
  • TikTok accessibility features

    Explore TikTok accessibility features and inclusive content creation, covering pronouns, captioning best practices, contrast-friendly fonts, video descriptions, comment controls, and collaboration tagging.

    12:44
  • Brand accessibility basics

    Discover accessible brand basics by testing color contrast with Canva, choosing legible sans serif fonts, and applying WCAG-aligned contrast ratios to create inclusive content.

    9:01
05

Embedding what you learnt into content creation

  • Your personal shift

    Implement an easy plan to apply inclusive language and accessibility, using a personal chef analogy to emphasize motivation, connection, and accountability in your social media content.

    5:48
  • Inclusive & Accessible branding

    Explore inclusive branding steps from branding and content planning to captions and posting, while applying brand toolkit guidance, sans serif readability, and color contrast guidelines.

    2:49
  • Inclusive & Accessible content planning

    Embed inclusion in content planning by counteracting stereotypes, inviting diverse perspectives, using ChatGPT for inclusive ideas, and auditing for fair pay and awareness days.

    2:42
  • Inclusive & Accessible scripting

    Craft inclusive and accessible scripting by shaping narratives that empower marginalized communities. Use plain language, non-judgmental tone, platform-aware delivery, collaboration with impacted voices, obtain consent, and respectful, person-first language.

    5:25
  • Inclusive & Accessible creating/editing

    Align imagery with the community, empower representation, and apply accessible design: low noise, clear audio, 4.5:1 contrast, left-aligned sans-serif, and closed captions.

    3:05
  • Inclusive & Accessible captions

    Craft inclusive and accessible captions by prioritizing trigger warnings and non-judgmental language. Use plain language, clear image descriptions, and mindful portrayal of marginalized communities.

    4:33
  • Inclusive & Accessible posting

    Ensure consent before posting, tag collaborators, and keep links understandable from link text. Include transcripts for audio or video and apply the minimum requirements immediately for inclusive social media.

    2:02
  • Minimum requirement checklist: creating with inclusion and accessibility in mind

    Identify minimum requirements for inclusive content, starting with branding and color contrast, and embed inclusion across planning. Emphasize transparent rates, consent, captions, image descriptions, and collaboration with impacted communities.

    3:32
  • Let's make an impact together

    Advance inclusive and accessible content creation by turning impact into action: build a personal business case, follow minimum social media requirements, complete workbook exercises, and pass the course quiz.

    3:01