How to choose inclusive and accessible images for written communications

Images improve your written communications. For sighted people, over 90% of what we process is visual. Unlike reading, perceiving images is immediate and not a learnt skill. We can take advantage of this innate ability when we prepare communications for an audience with reading support needs.

In this blog, we share 5 tips for choosing accessible images when you create Easy Read books.

These are the 'insider tips' used by our Easy Read designers when preparing accessible document translations at Embrace Access.

Why is this so important? Without thoughtful accessibility practices, your communications likely exclude individuals with different access needs. For example, people with low vision, assistive technology users, people with reading support needs, culturally and linguistically diverse people who are learning the English language, as well as readers with communication disabilities that impact letter-by-letter decoding, attention and reading comprehension.

Here are 5 tips to help make your images more accessible:

An example of the Easy Read format, using clear pictures to support the text.

1. Use Good Colour Contrast

Colour contrast is essential for accessible images. Strong contrast helps people with colour blindness, low vision, or different colour perception clearly see key visual elements. Ensure there is enough contrast between the background and foreground illustration, especially around the outlines of a person’s body and face.

Check your contrast. Use contrast-checking tools to confirm your images meet WCAG 2.2 AA–AAA requirements for non-text content. A high contrast ratio makes images easier to perceive across screens and formats.

Tip. Use black or dark outlines for shapes and facial features. High contrast combinations such as light elements on dark backgrounds help visual details stand out clearly.

2. Remove background detail

Clear visuals support understanding. Images should show the main idea at a glance. When too much is happening in the background, important information can be missed, especially for people with cognitive disability, low vision, or who process information differently.

Focus on what matters. Remove unnecessary background details which add visual clutter. Simple, intentional visuals help users quickly understand the message without needing to work out what to look at.

Tip. Highlight the key action or object and keep everything else minimal. Plain backgrounds and fewer visual elements make your message clearer and easier to process.

In this example, the 'mask' is lost in the second image on the right. When we include decorative background detail like a park bench, blue foliage and the entire body of the woman on the right, it is not clear what the author wants us to look at. By contrast, the person featured on the left wears a mask that is quick to perceive for readers. Interestingly, we can still include diversity for inclusive visuals. (She also wears a hearing aid). It's all about placing emphasis on your key message by ensuring that you've not included too much background information that will distract or compete with your main visual message.

3. Show Concrete Concepts

Images that represent concrete ideas or concepts are easier to understand and relate to. When we've seen something in our real lives before, we can connect new information to those existing ideas and memories. For example, showing a photo of a fast delivery truck to explain "fast delivery" is more accessible than using abstract imagery such as an image of a cheetah to represent the idea of "fast". This is a huge mental leap for many users, particularly the Easy Read target audience which might include autistic people and people with learning disability.

When selecting images, aim for clear, literal representations of the content to reduce ambiguity and improve understanding.

Tip. Avoid abstract illustrations when possible. Use photos or illustrations that directly depict the concepts you're discussing.

4. Focus on the Verb or Action

Images with action can be much more engaging and informative. Instead of simply showing static images of objects or nouns, consider depicting actions or verbs.

For example, if your message is "read a book", show a person reading rather than a book on its own. This provides context to the image and helps individuals with cognitive or learning disabilities learn what to do because they can visualise the action.

Tip: If the image features an action (like cooking, running, or learning), try to focus on the active moments rather than the noun like a frying pan or running shoe on its own. Showing people performing a desired task will help your reader visualise what to do and transfer the learning into real life.

5. Avoid Words in Images for Easy Read users

Using text in your images is totally acceptable for plain language documents, and other written formats. But, when it comes to Easy Read documents, text in images becomes a problem for accessibility.

Why? Our target audience for Easy Read documents includes people who find it effortful to read words. We use visuals to communicate without asking the audience to read words. When we put text into our pictures, we undermine the power of images for clear visual communication.

Tip: Whenever possible, keep the text separate from your images, and provide an alternative image description in the form of captions or alt-text.

In the above 2 images, we see a picture of a ballot box with a hand placing a vote-card into the box. We also see an image of a picket sign with the text 'VOTE!' in capital letters on it. For Easy Read users, the second image is problematic. That's because Easy Read users rely on pictures as clues to know more about the written text in your Easy Read book. When text is hard to understand, pictures play an important role in helping readers understand your topics, themes, and message. For image 2, a reader who does not successfully decode the word 'vote' is left with very few visual cues to interpret meaning. It would simply appear as a blank sign with foreign text.

Conclusion

Choosing the right images is a critical part of accessible communication. This is especially important when creating content for people with reading support needs, or disabilities that affect vision and communication.

At Embrace Access, Easy Read materials use clear, accessible, and inclusive images selected by Certified Practising Speech Pathologists and our team of co-designers with lived experience of reading support needs.

Remember, images are not for decoration. At Embrace Access, images are chosen to actively support understanding for Easy Read users.

When preparing your next communications piece, use this framework as a practical starting point for creating content that feels inclusive and accessible.

Alternatively, reach out to us with your document and we can help you get started on your very own co-designed best-practice Easy Read Translation!

We also offer training to build the capacity of organisations to make Easy Read in-house, as part of business-as-usual comms practice. This embeds inclusion and accessibility into your organisation's culture. Explore more via the button below, or on our website.

Book in for training