Christopher MimsMay 10, 2023

I'm just going to admit this even though it makes me sound like an insensitive asshole, because look, we all make mistakes and the point is to grow, right?

when I first came to Mastodon and people were reminding me to add alt text to my images, I was a little irked

then I read several posts about how much this means to people who rely on reading apps to understand the web

now I'm fully converted. I enjoy writing alt text.

and I think it's crazy this isn't standard across all social mediums.

Show threadChristy S
@mimsical So, I'm a blind person and I always appreciate alt text. However, I've recently learned that it's not just us blind folks. Some neurodiverse people might have trouble with visually processing images, or understanding emotion from those images. The text helps them better interpret what they're seeing depending on how it's done. I found that fascinating.
May 10, 2023 at 2:45pmWeb
Show threadlizzzzardMay 11, 2023
@Faylen @mimsical and it doesn't end there. I might be able to see the image, but my *interpretation* will likely differ from the author's. A good alt text describes what the author sees in a picture, what's important to them. And that add information or emotion even for seeing and neurotypical people.