YSK: How to embed images accessibly on Lemmy

https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/485977

YSK: How to embed images accessibly on Lemmy - SDF Chatter

Why YSK: If you want to make Lemmy a more accessible place for all, you need to know how to add labels (aka: “alt text”) to embedded images As many of you are already aware, you can embed images in comments using the following markdown: ![](https://example.com/image.jpg). That works, but the image will be left unlabeled which leaves screenreader users out of the conversation. This may seem like a theoretical problem, but it’s not – Lemmy already has an active blind community: https://rblind.com/ [https://rblind.com/] So, here’s what you can do to add labels when embedding images: ![Earth viewed from the Moon](https://example.com/image.jpg) That’s it! Any text within the [] becomes “alt text”, which is what screenreaders use for describing images. It’s a small thing, but it makes a world of difference. Remember: Reddit took something from many of us here. For some, it was a mobile app. For others, it was the ability to operate their own communities. Comment with solidarity; use alt-text.

![Dude, sweet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f19cc921c5d2ab5c1c928088f515a330-1200-80.jpg)

that is not how to use alt text.

it should actually be a description of the image, for blind people.

also, web users who aren’t using some accessibility tool can’t even see it without right-clicking and inspecting the element, or clicking lemmy’s view source button as i just did to quote your comment here. so, please don’t use alt text for things other than descriptions of images.