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Re: Question About Alternative Text

for

From: David Engebretson Jr.
Date: Aug 4, 2020 10:25PM

Good question! I often try to emphasize that the description of the
classroom, the students, and whatever might be happening in the graphic is
most important while creating alt text.
So, to me, " students in a classroom" Is better than"
1. "Photo of students in a classroom" Or
2. "Image of students in a classroom"

But it's not too hard for designers and developers to get creative with alt
text. It just takes a different part of the brain to get creatively
descriptive.

For example, I might suggest the specific classroom and the specific class
the students are taking be a part of the alt text:
"15 students in a classroom in Red Square with the professor pointing
emphatically at a model of a molecule"

To me, as a blind person, this paints a bigger picture.

Personally I think that creative alt text is an art form in itself. I have
found that when people understand that it is an art form, even the more
technically oriented developers will put more effort into alt text.

Best,
David

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Drip
Jutsu
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2020 7:36 PM
Cc: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: [WebAIM] Question About Alternative Text

Hi All,



I have been an accessibility specialist for some time now, but there are
moments in which I feel lost in how to address certain things. I understand
the guidelines, but there are always cases in which I believe it comes down
to the designers and developers.



One question that I have always had is, are we supposed to provide alt text
for images that are not necessarily decorative, that is, they are not only
existent for visual design reasons, but are not necessarily informative and
do not convey information important for the website user. An example I have
is, let's say there is an article that discusses the importance of classroom
rules, and in the article, there is a picture of students in a classroom.
The image of students in a classroom is not important for understanding the
article as a whole or any context within the article. One could argue that
the image is important for the visual user to empathize with a classroom
setting, but I am not sure where to stand on this topic. I typically add
alternative text to all images unless it is very clearly decorative.



Best,

An Accessibility Specialist

http://webaim.org/discussion/archives