@krisnelsonNov 23, 2022

Hey all, with the continued influx of Twitter people, I'm once again seeing a drop in the number of people who add alt text/image descriptions to what they post, denying access to many disabled users here.

Exactly how you do this varies by Mastodon client app, but it is usually just below the image once you upload & before posting.

Even a short-but-useful description is better than nothing—focus on what you're trying to get others to get from the image rather than describing every detail.

Show thread@krisnelsonNov 23, 2022

Here's one useful guide as to what to write in your image descriptions for those that find such guidance helpful:

https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-write-an-image-description-2f30d3bf5546

But again, you do not need to be elaborate here, but do try to write something that will provide enough information to people who can't see or understand your image on its own that they can be included in the conversation rather than excluded.

How to write an image description

I wrote this how-to guide with the immensely helpful counsel and insights from Bex Leon and Robin Fanning, as well as through an online…

Medium
Show threadThanasis KiniasNov 23, 2022

@krisnelson
Back in early Web days, the thing we used to say was that the alt text should express the *point* of the image—what is the purpose it’s serving on this page?

I like the distinction made there between, for example, how you’d alt text the dog photo if it’s illustrating a news article (basically just filler) or if it’s on a site illustrating dog breeds.

Show threadThanasis KiniasNov 23, 2022
@krisnelson
Too often, it seems like people get the idea that alt text should be an paragraph-length description of every small detail in an image. That seems like it’s not actually helpful to screen-reader users, and it probably puts people off using them if they feel like they have to write an essay every time they upload an image.
Show threadCavarNov 23, 2022

@tkinias @krisnelson

Re: the purpose of alt text, some disabled creators are pushing back against the narrative that alt text must be as "efficient" in function as possible. I'm working with some multimedia artists on this topic, and this org is also thinking about new ways to look at access/alt text: https://alt-text-as-poetry.net

Alt Text as Poetry

Alt text is an essential part of web accessibility. It is often disregarded altogether or understood through the lens of compliance, as an unwelcome burden to be met with minimum effort. How can we instead approach alt text thoughtfully and creatively?

Show thread@krisnelsonNov 23, 2022

@cavar @tkinias From the perspective of someone who reads alt text, "efficiency" is absolutely not what I care about primarily either. Screen readers speak very fast, and I can skip onwards quickly, after all! I'd prefer longer descriptions with the most key stuff at the beginning, personally.

"Efficiency" here is mostly a minimum standard as applied to the poster to get people to do it at all rather than a goal as to what would be ideal, if that makes sense?

Show threadThanasis Kinias
@krisnelson @cavar
I suppose I’ve internalized a lot from when I did site testing with screen readers back in the day, because my overwhelming frustration was that everything took SO MUCH TIME and that colors how I think about stuff like alt text.
Nov 23, 2022 at 9:43pmWeb
Show thread@krisnelsonNov 23, 2022
@tkinias @cavar Also, I very often elide the differences between alt text on a web site and image descriptions on social media. In reality, they often have quite different purposes and need different kinds of descriptions—but explaining that tends to overwhelm people and they just skip the whole thing entirely, frustratingly! Also, I have very different expectations & demands of a professional website than I do of an amateur posting on social media.
Show threadThanasis KiniasNov 23, 2022

@krisnelson @cavar
To be fair, lots of images on professional sites are in fact just space-fillers with no particular information value (“stock photo of ethnically-ambiguous smiling woman with a laptop”).

I think on social media (other than 4chan and the like) we tend to have in mind communicating something specific when we post an image.