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Making your Events Calendar accessible isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for ensuring all users can engage with your content. Whether you're working toward WCAG compliance or simply aiming to build a more inclusive experience, these practical tips will help you get the most out of your events calendar while meeting the needs of every visitor.

1. Select Compliant Style Colors

Adhering to WCAG criteria for color contrast can be important for many organizations to meet the needs of their users. The following articles and websites are resources for understanding guidelines regarding colors. 

• Understanding Color Contrast: The World Wide Web Consortium has detailed extensively the guidelines for color contrast on the web with examples. 
• Color Safe or WebAIMs Contrast Checker are both excellent resources for assembling compliant color palettes to be used for styles. 
• After applying compliant styles to your map, test that it passes contrast tests using one of these common browser extensions
  
  • Axe Browser Extension
  • Wave Accessibility Checker

Common areas on the platform to ensure pass color contrast include:

• Link color (in both your header/footer and event descriptions)
• Buttons (including hover color)

2. Add Alternative Text to Images

When uploading an image to the Photo Library, include a photo description to be used as alternative text. Providing inaccurate, or "bad" alternative text is worse for end users than providing no alternative text. So Concept3D will not automatically apply alternative text without context of what the image is providing.

Here is a resource from WebAIM on proving comprehensive Alternative Text.

Here is the help article on how to add alternative text to images.

3. Ensure Video Content is Accessible

Use Captions on Youtube or Vimeo

Captions are crucial for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Both YouTube and Vimeo offer straightforward captioning tools.

Best Practices for Captions: Ensure captions are accurate, properly timed, and easy to read.
Use clear, descriptive language, and include non-verbal sounds when relevant.

Ensure Videos contain Audio Descriptions

Audio descriptions provide essential visual context for users with low vision. While Vimeo DOES support multiple audio tracks, Youtube does not. Here are two options for implementing them:

1. Two Versions of the Same Video

• • Upload two versions of the video: one with audio descriptions embedded and one without.

  • Add a clearly labeled link or button below the embedded video (e.g., "Watch with Audio Descriptions").

  • Pros: Easy to implement within the existing platform.

  • Cons: Users must interact with an external link, and managing two video versions increases overhead for your clients.

2. Burn-In Audio Descriptions

• Create a single video file where audio descriptions are embedded directly into the video.

• Upload this file to YouTube or Vimeo.

• Pros: Meets WCAG requirements and is simple to share.

• Cons: Forces all viewers to hear audio descriptions, which may not be necessary for most users.