Patty Bluebird 🦩

I spy with my little eye: incredible #art, and fantastic #photography.
I'm favoriting and boosting stuff all over the place.
BUT if there's no #AltText I'm not boosting you.
#Inclusion for all means inclusion for ALL.
I'm sure I'll be accused of lecturing folks on how to use #Mastodon.
Oh well.

p.s., if any of my #Disabled peers have more to add, please do so. I'm still learning. Thx.

Jan 5, 2023 at 4:48pmWeb
Show threadLīgaJan 5, 2023
@pburke46 fun fact, I use tusky in dark mode hastags are a dark blue making them impossible to read.
Show threadPatty Bluebird 🦩Jan 5, 2023
@Liga Whatever helps 👍🏼
My vision gets wonky sometimes (#StupidStroke) and I use the alt text sometimes.
Show threadLīgaJan 5, 2023
@pburke46 actually it's not helpful, dark blue on a black background is difficult to read.
Show threadPatty Bluebird 🦩Jan 5, 2023
@Liga Sorry! I misread your comment.
Show threadLīgaJan 5, 2023
@pburke46 on topic. LoL
Show threadSWestJan 5, 2023

@pburke46

I think an important thing about providing #AltText is to really use the available text box...there's a lot of space there to genuinely describe an image!

Screen readers read text in posts, so digging down into an image with the alt text box can mean the difference between a ho-hum experience, and an truly detailed, #inclusive post.

Why is this "cat on a bookshelf" unique from any other cats on bookshelves the world over? What makes the meme funny? How does the image make you feel?

Show threadPatty Bluebird 🦩Jan 5, 2023
@SWest Yes, thank you, we need details. I've seen posts with one word descriptions such as: nature
and have seen one account which posts the same exact word on all of their media. The word has nothing to do with the media; maybe it's their calling card? I don't know.
Show threadSWestJan 5, 2023

@pburke46

There's a fair amount of privilege...fully-abled people don't have problems in their personal experience, so they don't examine issues closely.

#Empathy and #prosocial values are learned and cultivated. Describing a scene to someone is not a drag.

The #AltText utility is a gift meant to be used happily and creatively. It would be a shame if empathy is diluted on #Mastodon in part due to a failure of imagination!

Show threadIamWahlJan 5, 2023
@pburke46 @SWest
I try to explain the image in a way that gives it context in its relation to the toot. More detail is always good but sometimes it's the context that is the point to the image. I'm definitely still learning how to improve my alt text.
And I still sometimes post too quickly & forget to add it. Back on the dying bird site I used a reminder bot that would notify me anytime I posted an image without alt text. Having to delete and repost several tweets helped me get more consistent.