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 threadKat the LeopardessSep 4, 2023

@literalgrill I have also seen people make the argument that the pressing for alt tags is what makes Mastodon full of elitist assholes that wanna be right all the time. (and hence why Bluesky is more attractive)

They argue that asking for alt tags is "tone policing"

Show threadBee O'Problem Sep 4, 2023

@Catwoman69y2k @literalgrill IMO it's how the people do it.

Best folks are the ones who reply with alt text added.

Next are the ones who politely encourage use of alt text and point out how it's done.

The ones I suspect get the "mastodon elitist" label are the ones that are either aggressively demanding, condescending or making harsh accusations of deliberate malicious ableism over missing alt text.

Show threadYingtaiSep 4, 2023

@beeoproblem I wish I could agree that the answer is writing alt text for other people, but I do a fair amount of that, and usually they ignore it. No edit, likes or thanks.

I think they see it as a passive-aggressive hint.

Once in a blue moon someone will write back gratefully, but those are usually the people who had minimal alt text to begin with.

Here's my latest, if you're curious. It's for video, but that can and should have alt text too. https://zirk.us/@yingtai/110994174972559047

@literalgrill

Yingtai (@[email protected])

Content warning: Video description

zirkus
Show threadYingtai
@beeoproblem I should add that the reason I continue to write image descriptions for other people is that I have followers who are screenreader users. If I boost something which doesn't have alt text, then I boost my description along with it. When we get quote toots, I'll switch to that format. @literalgrill
Sep 4, 2023 at 10:28pmWeb