Mastodawn

Beth Jul 8, 2023

Please boost 877-565-8860. #Transgender #lgbtq

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@BethF There is a strong LGBTQIA+ presence in the blind/VI community, so I would very much like to boost this, but your ALT is a caption that provides no information.

I assume the actual info, such as the phone number is contained in the graphic. I don't know because you did not provide a full text equivalent. When the content of a post is the image, you MUST ensure a complete transcription of the image to provide an equivalent & autonomous experience for those who cannot process images of text.

#ALT4Me - this is an attempt to obtain equivalent information. Anybody can participate in providing repair ALT

@oedipusnj Alt Text: The first transgender suicide hotline is now up and running in the U.S. You can reach trans lifeline at 877-565-8860. #Alt4You

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@Cat_LeFey Thank you very very very much. 🐱😎

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@Cat_LeFey @oedipusnj This is a great example of where the "Detect text from picture" control is useful. There are a couple of artifacts that need to be removed; the "v" and "0" that are not intended to be text. The text description can be a starting point in a case like this, with additional text added to indicate visual treatment and emphasis.

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey Not only is that an excellent observation, that is an excellent example — an exemplar, really — of how to provide a textual equivalent for a screenshot! Bravo! 🐱😎

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey Thanks. It started getting rather meta with the text description of an interface showing how to create a text description :)

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey And that's the key, you're providing those of us who can't see it what we would want to get out of it if we could see it. Your analysis is fascinating to me and I can probably tell you a dozen people on Masto who also would find your ALT one of the move satisfying they encounter today.

An author's enthusiasm for his subject is not only essential to understanding the image, but it's also the easiest way for the author to compose ALT. Enthuse. Brag — especially when it concerns animal companions. The more enthusiasm you express for a subject the greater the impression it will make on the person processing it, & the information you provide & the feeling you share will not be forgotten with the next thing that shows up on the users timeline.

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey This is also part of the answer to many of the fears of AI replacing humanity. We need to use and emphasize the attributes that AI lacks; emotion, feeling, compassion, empathy. All the stuff that comes from biological creatures driven by chemical processes rooted in millions of years of physical evolution. Let the AI tools excel at what we don't do so well and so many of us find tedious. Brute force calculation, copy and paste, regimented busywork, etc. #AI

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey Ramen! Very eloquently stated! I am extremely glad we ran into each other this morning, or whatever time it is where you are! 😎

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey Likewise, and yes, it's still morning here in the land of the Lotus Eaters (California).

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey "To tell the truth, I think my human's a Lotus Eater..."

#AlwaysAddAlt #AlwaysReadTheALT #BCatPix #Caturday #CatroyWasHere

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey Thank you to everybody involved in implementing & designing the #edit feature. I was able to correct a copy & paste error in my ALT, which otherwise would have soured my day, like a nagging pebble in my boot.

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey Masterpiece of alt text composition! And a fine example of the kind of love for an animal an AI would never be able to come close to.

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey Thank you. I've had almost 30 years of deep study & investigation of & practice with image description.

My captions & my ALT are a combination of notes I jot down as metadata for the image, in combination with the reaction of a small & very patient group of friends whose aesthetic judgment I trust. I then try to structure the image description to be flexible enough that I can adjust it for whatever circumstance I want to use the picture to meet. I have a whole folder of reaction shots of Baby Cat face palming, laughing, giggling, winking, & expressing surprise, amazement &, of course, because she is a cat, disgust

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey I love this feature and often use it when I post screen shots of text snippets. On Twitter I always had to copy and paste from the source as an extra step or type every word in if it came from a photo of a page in a book for example.

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey It makes a real difference when the maintaining organization of a social media site has made an express commitment to ensuring and always trying to increase the level of accessibility they provide.

Everything that Twitter did for accessibility was first fought for for many years by users & only provided grudgingly, until the very end when they finally hired some actual disabled engineers to work on accessibility. Needless to say, this was amongst the first departments at Twitter to be dissolved & all of its employees fired.

Joel at Seldon Crisis Jul 8, 2023

@oedipusnj @Cat_LeFey I assumed it was likely they were first to go. I was once interested in getting hired there as an accessibility engineer after a guy I'd interviewed with for another company went to Twitter to lead their a11y efforts. I expect he was likely shown the door soon after Elon arrived.

Gregory J. Rosmaita Jul 8, 2023

@seldoncrisis @Cat_LeFey They really assembled a great team that accomplished a lot, given the environment, in its very brief tenure. The ALT exposition badge & the ALT reminder vastly increased knowledge of ALT & the need for it. Use of ALT increased significantly. It also helps to D couple the automatic association of ALT with screen readers & braille displays

ALT is a digital curb cut. And, as we all know, just as in real life, digital curb cuts help everybody & provide a better user experience for everyone

Dan Jones Jul 9, 2023

That is a pretty good start. It's unfortunate that it mistook the ⚧️ as a V.

Scissors Cut Paper...Jul 10, 2023

@Cat_LeFey @oedipusnj

Thanks