Mastodawn

Tips for making posts more accessible to blind people:

-Add text descriptions to images & videos
-Make first letters of hashtag words capitalised, e.g. #DogsOfMastodon
-Don't use long strings of emoji
-Don't do "sarcastic text" with random capitalisations
-If you see #Alt4Me in a post with an image, reply with a description and tag #Alt4You (you can also reply with a description for any post lacking its own alt text)

More info about all of these at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-make-posts-more-accessible-to-blind-people-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse

How do I make my posts more accessible to blind, deaf and deafblind people on Mastodon and the Fediverse? How do I add alt texts? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Ritam Apr 7, 2024

@FediTips
What's wrong with long strands of emoji?

Fedi.Tips Apr 7, 2024

Because screen readers read the alt texts of every single emoji out loud, which takes a long time and can be really irritating.

hömma Apr 7, 2024

also, no „exotic“ characters (like mathematical symbols etc.) just to make your account name or message look a little more fancy. They are a nightmare on screenreaders! Here’s an example you can listen to:

https://universeodon.com/@FreakyFwoof/110277460860510209

Andre Louis (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 audio This is an utterly ridiculous name for a #ScreenReader user to have to hear. This is someone’s youtube name I came across in the comment section of a video, and I think the best way to show you how annoying it is to listen to, is to show you an audio recording of what my phone does, when it comes across it. Standard letters really do suffice, people. It is not necessary for all this. Even with my phone set to the normal speed at which I listen to speech, it takes an age to get through this, not to mention that youtube actually repeats names twice before reading out the comment. It's just trying to say 'Sinister Potato.' ˢᶦⁿᶦˢᵗᵉʳ ᴾᵒᵗᵃᵗᵒ

Universeodon Social Media

Fedi.Tips Apr 7, 2024

Thank you for the excellent example!

Is it okay if I add this tip to the article on fedi.tips? (Link to article: https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-make-posts-more-accessible-to-blind-people-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/)

How do I make my posts more accessible to blind, deaf and deafblind people on Mastodon and the Fediverse? How do I add alt texts? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

hömma Apr 7, 2024

yes of course that’s okay! Thank you for adding it!

Fedi.Tips Apr 8, 2024

Done!

hömma Apr 8, 2024

you’re the best!

keith taft Apr 7, 2024

crochetedman Apr 7, 2024

@FediTips I've been using lowercase letters for the start of hashtags and only capitalizing letters of following words — does that work as well or should I be capitalizing the first letter?

Fedi.Tips Apr 8, 2024

As far as I know it would work, but it's probably easier for people to remember what to do if it's starting each word with a capital.

crochetedman Apr 8, 2024

@FediTips Sounds good, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it wrong!

James Scholes Apr 8, 2024

@crochetedman @FediTips Screen reader user here. Lower case first word works fine, as long as the subsequent words have a capital first letter. Thanks for asking!

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Apr 8, 2024

@FediTips Thanks for the tips. I didn’t know about the emoji thing. I post this 🔽 randomly to remind people to use #AltText

Potung Thul Apr 8, 2024

Thanks for doing this!

I didn't know about the #Alt4You tag. I've just been tagging mine with #AltText but I guess it's easier for sightless users to find #Alt4You

I'm always wary of using the digit 4 instead of the word "for", as it seems a bit Anglo-centric , but I guess if this is there generally accepted convention then it's okay.

Fedi.Tips Apr 8, 2024

As far as I know it's the only tag of its kind. If there are others I'll try to list them!