Notices by Accessibility Awareness (a11yawareness@disabled.social)

For beginners, it can be difficult to know what to put in alt text, as well as when alt text is needed and when it isn't. This decision tree helps you determine what to do, based on specific situations.

https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/decision-tree/

Hyperlink text should make sense when read out of context. Screen reader users can navigate from link to link, and can listen to links in a list. When navigating this way, only the link is read. So "click here" or "read more" won't make sense.

Alexa Heinrich's Accessible Social is a free resource for digital marketers, communication professionals, content creators, everyday social media users, and anyone who wants to learn how to make their content accessible for people with disabilities.

https://www.accessible-social.com/

"Introduction to Web Accessibility" is a free course designed for people of all roles and all experience levels. Regardless of your background, there's something you can learn here.

https://www.edx.org/course/web-accessibility-introduction

When you make the pitch for accessibility, be prepared for pushback. There are several myths and misconceptions, so it's good to be aware of what they are and how to dispel them.

https://a11ymyths.com/

You don't necessarily need to say "image of" in your alt text for users to know it's an image. Screen readers will announce that it's an image. But it can help readers to specify if it's a hand-drawn image, Polaroid, infographic, screenshot, chart, map, diagram, or so on.

When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.

Game Accessibility Nexus focuses on video game accessibility. The reviews, articles, and interviews offer insight for both game players and game developers.

https://www.gameaccessibilitynexus.com/

Avoid jargon and buzzwords whenever possible. When you have to use terms that might not be commonly known or used among your audience, explain what these terms mean. If you can't avoid a lot of specific terms, include a glossary of terms that users can refer to when needed.

If you have an election results chart, the alt text needs to communicate the results. "Election results" is not enough. The same rules apply for alt text for images of weather charts. "Weather chart" doesn't cut it and doesn't convey what the chart is actually saying to users.

Don't use color alone to convey information. Marking required fields by only using colored labels won't help people who use screen readers or who can't distinguish colors. If using color, also add text like asterisks and/or "required."

https://www.w3.org/WAI/tips/designing/

Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.

Generic descriptions don't convey the information or context sighted users get from the image. Examples like "election results," "group of people," "screenshot from Google," or "city skyline" may be technically be true, but they don't provide information and context.

Audio descriptions are necessary for making videos accessible. They narrate the crucial visual elements that would be necessary for understanding the plot without the ability to see the screen. They describe non-verbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, or eye contact.

You don't necessarily need to say "image of" in your alt text for users to know it's an image. Screen readers will announce that it's an image. But it can help readers to specify if it's a hand-drawn image, Polaroid, infographic, screenshot, chart, map, diagram, or so on.

People who are new to writing alt text sometimes feel they must describe every detail, and then get overwhelmed by this pressure. Imagine a large crowd at a football game: you are not expected to describe every single person in a crowd in detail. This would be nearly impossible.

The difference between "full verbatim" and "clean verbatim" transcripts: Full verbatim captures spoken word exactly as stated, including filler words, stutters and false starts. Clean verbatim has words exactly as stated, but edits the filler words, repeated words and stutters.

When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.

If you put links or hashtags in your alt text, no one will be able to click or select the link or hashtag. It's just going to be read out loud. If you have a link or hashtag to share, that should go in the written part of your post or your tweet, but not the alt text.

Do not cram alt text with keywords just to improve search engine optimization. This will hinder alt text’s true purpose: improving accessibility. Focus on describing the photo's content. Search engine optimization should not be the goal for writing good alt text.