When I first created a BlueSky account, I couldn’t find much information about BlueSky accessibility settings or using BlueSky with low vision. To make it easier for new users to navigate the platform, here is an overview of BlueSky accessibility features for low vision and blind users that I have personally used that go beyond just adding alt text to images.
For those who are not familiar with this newer social media platform, BlueSky is a text-based microblogging website where users can post images, videos, gifs, and text posts up to 300 characters long. You can follow me on BlueSky @veron4ica.com
Creating a BlueSky account and setting up profiles
To create an account on BlueSky, users can select which server they would like to host their account on, with the default being “bsky.social”— users can follow accounts on different servers and can switch their server or account name at any time.
To make it easier for people to identify my account, I connected my website domain and use that as a username. This can be configured after creating an account by going to Settings > Advanced > Change handle > I have my own domain and following the listed instructions.
BlueSky profile descriptions
BlueSky profile bios do not have set fields for sharing links or similar content, but users can add links to their profile description if desired. For example, I added a link to my website.
Related links
Reading BlueSky posts with large print
BlueSky offers two options for accessing content with large print in Settings > Appearance, including the option to switch between the system font and theme font (the latter of which is built into the app), and the option to display a smaller, default, or larger font size.
I personally have system font enabled, which uses the large print sizes I have enabled either as part of Dynamic Type for iOS or by using Big Font on my Android phone. Using the system font means that text on my screen is displayed at the same size as other text content on my phone, making it easier to read through content.
Related links
- How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Android Phones
- Customize Accessibility Settings For Specific Apps
Viewing BlueSky in light or dark mode
Dark mode (sometimes called dark theme or night mode) is a display setting for user interfaces that displays a light-colored text against a dark-colored background. This is different from the default “light mode”, which displays dark-colored text against a light-colored background. BlueSky offers two options for dark mode, including a Dim color scheme that uses a darker background and a Dark color scheme that uses a black background for higher contrast.
Dark mode can be turned on or off in Settings > Appearance > Color mode. If a user already has a system wide dark mode enabled, users can select System to default to their system’s color scheme.
Related links
Turn off auto-play for videos and gifs on BlueSky
Videos or gifs that have a lot of spinning/shaking motions or that include strobe and/or flashing lights can trigger a medical condition for me, so I turn off auto-play for content so that the media will not play or unexpectedly flash unless I intentionally select it or press play. To turn off auto-play in BlueSky, go to Settings > Accessibility > Media > Disable autoplay for videos and GIFs and turn the slider to on.
Related links
How to add alt text on BlueSky
Alternative text (alt text) provides text-based descriptions of visual details in an image written primarily for people who are visually impaired (inclusive of blind, low vision, and neurological visual impairment). If a screen reader user encounters a post with alt text, the alt text will let them know what is in an image— alt text that is missing or left blank will just say “image”, making it much more difficult to guess what is in a post.
BlueSky supports alt text up to 2,000 characters, though alt text cannot be added or edited once an image is posted.
To add alt text to BlueSky posts:
- Create a new post and attach an image, video, or gif
- Select “add description” underneath the image.
- Type alt text of your choice. Some gifs will load with automatically generated alt text, which can be edited.
- Select “done” when finished
- Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 for posts with more than one image.
To make it easier to remember to include alt text, go to Settings > Accessibility and enable Require alt text before posting
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- Lemon On A Pear: Accessible Memes For Low Vision
Reading alt text on BlueSky
Alt text is primarily for screen reader users, but there are still several options for accessing alt text on BlueSky without a screen reader. These options include:
- For images and gifs, select the alt text badge to read a transcript of the alt text, which can also be translated. To make it easier to see alt text badges, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display larger alt text badges
- For users that want to have alt text read out loud but do not want to use a screen reader, tools like Speak Screen/Speak Text and Select-to-speak can be used to read alt text using text-to-speech.
- The search tool also can be used to find keywords that are included in alt text, meaning alt text is searchable on BlueSky.
Alt text for videos on BlueSky
When it comes to alt text for videos, there is currently no alt text badge or option to read text without a screen reader. In my personal testing, alt text for videos is not recognized by VoiceOver on iOS, but I had no issues having it read out loud with TalkBack or Select-to-speak on Android. With auto-play turned off, I can listen to the alt text for a video before deciding if I would like to watch it or not— a valuable accessibility tool for someone that is sensitive to strobe and flashing lights.
For the time being, I recommend copying the alt text into a post so that it can be “exposed” as a video description that anyone can read.
Related links
- How To Write Video Descriptions For Animal Videos
- How To Use Select-to-speak on Android
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
Mute specific words or phrases
As part of BlueSky’s content moderation tools, users can add words or phrases that will be hidden from their timeline or main feed, even if someone they follow likes/reposts content with these keywords. While this does not block content that is shown on a specific profile (it will show as being “hidden” and prompt the user to select it to read what it says), this is a fantastic tool for minimizing exposure to flashing lights or other unwanted media. It can also be used to mute specific types of content for a short period of time, such as a conference hashtag, spoilers for a show or movie, or similar.
To mute specific words or phrases on BlueSky:
- Open Settings > Basics > Moderation
- Go to Muted words and tags
- Enter a word or phrase
- Select the duration of how long the word/phrase should be muted— forever, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days
- Specify if it should be muted in text and tags, or just tags (hashtags)
- If desired, exclude users you follow from having their posts hidden or muted if they use this word/tag/phrase. Posts that use these will show up in the user’s timeline or main feed and will not be hidden
- Select add
- Repeat for each keyword
There is also an option to follow public moderation lists to block a user-generated group of users who post on a specific topic, which can also be enabled in Moderation settings, but I have not used this. I mostly use moderation tools to minimize my exposure to flashing lights.
Reduce visual clutter with following feed preferences
Some users may prefer to have a more streamlined view of their following feed, which can remove specific categories of posts they are not interested in reading. This can help with reducing unwanted visual clutter and eyestrain from reading posts that users are not interested in.
Examples of content that can be shown or hidden in the following feed include:
- Show replies: user replies to someone else’s post, similar to comments
- Show reposts: user shares content from another account, turn off to only see content that the user posts themselves
- Show quote posts: user adds their own text and links to a post from another account
These settings cannot be configured for individual accounts— for example, someone can’t turn off showing replies for my account only, they have to turn it off for all accounts they follow.
Using starter packs on BlueSky
Looking for a set of users that share content about a specific topic? Starter packs are a type of user-generated list that can be used to instantly follow a large group of people, which can be easier than manually searching for accounts and following people individually. Alternatively, users can use the starter pack list and follow individual accounts on the list by selecting the follow button next to a profile.
While these aren’t technically a BlueSky accessibility feature or accessibility setting, they are helpful for quickly following likeminded accounts and building up following feeds.
More resources on BlueSky accessibility features for low vision
- Looking for a thread of alt text tips? I have a collection posted on BlueSky— @Veron4ica.com | Alt text thread
- To bookmark a post for later, comment/reply with the thumbtack emoji to “pin” it for later access within a custom home feed.
- In terms of accessibility for VoiceOver and TalkBack, BlueSky works surprisingly well with screen readers, though is not 100% yet— I personally have experienced fewer issues on Android compared to iOS.
Published August 20, 2024. Updated November 2024