LiteralGrillSep 4, 2023

I see people on my timeline now and then grumpy that people are trying to encourage others to use alt-text, sometimes saying people are "too pushy" or they "deserve to be able to post in peace."

So folks actively work together for once to advocate for accessibility for disabled people and your primary complaint is that it's annoying so stop? I hope folks wake up and realize how fucked up that is.

ESPECIALLY when tons of people refuse to wear masks leaving us stuck in our homes where social media is a godsend for having community.

I'd have loved to see these folks' reactions when people in wheelchairs were using sledge hammers to put in curb cuts back in the day. Maybe we gotta bring that kind of energy back. #Disablity #DisabilityJustice

Show threadLiteralGrillSep 4, 2023

I'm so glad this has taken off! So I want to ask anyone here a question: Why doesn't Mastodon simply require #alttext on every post?

It is implied the "convenience" of abled people is more important because the product needs to grow than it is for disabled people to be able to have their accessibility needs met.

Hell, even TikTok has the option to not see any uncaptioned videos! We can expect Mastodon to do better. Perhaps we can all get @Gargron to consider implementing required alt-text for the entire platform to fix this issue. #Disability #DisabilityJustice

Edit: Yep, gotta not post so early in the morning because you forget obvious things! We would need to figure out a way for folks who are unable to create alt-text on photos themselves to be included in this process.

I've seen folks also suggesting the idea of allowing folks to generate alt-text for others, which would be cool. I'd love to see any suggestions people have because otherwise, people will keep being "annoyed" by folks who simply want to enjoy Mastodon to add alt-text!

Show threadAccordionBruceSep 4, 2023

@literalgrill @Gargron
Something like this at least

The “nag“ could be institutionalized, rather than the current cultural practice where it’s put on users to suggest it politely

Which is now broadcast as rude, though it has had such a positive impact that Mastodon posters have voluntarily added more alt Text to that they now have perhaps the most accessible platform ever for visually impaired readers

That is unprecedented, and something to be tremendously proud of

#altText #Disability

Show threadAccordionBruce

@literalgrill @Gargron

Mastodon has successfully built this welcoming feature. It should strengthen it not discard it

Making the alt-text ask a step in the image upload process (or other platform architecture rather than just the “culture”) will help make this positive feature feel like less of a personal attack

For people who feel easily insulted by disabled people wanting to exist in society—see, the app won’t guilt trip anybody like that 😹

#altText #disability

Sep 4, 2023 at 3:51pmToot!