Georgiana BrummellJan 24, 2025

As someone who is totally blind, the Fediverse is the only place where I have ever been able to follow people such as photographers, artists, or even those who post pictures of their cats or the food they ate. The reason is that most of them use alt text. They take the time to describe the images that my screen reader can't recognise. Some write the descriptions themselves, and others use tools such as altbot. Some worry that their descriptions aren't good enough, especially when they are new at this. Let me assure you, not only are they good enough, they are extremely appreciated! If the rest of the world thought as you did, it would be a much better place. Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure of something, but never think that we don't notice your effort.

#appreciation #accessibility #altbot #alttext #blind #blindness #fediverse #gratitude #images #inclusivity #peoplewhocare #pictures #technology

Show threadFedo ¶Jan 25, 2025
@[email protected] something I’m never sure about is how much text in alt-text is too much. I generally stay as coincise as possible by describing what’s actually interesting in the image for the conversation, which may include written texts or not. Do you think vision-impaired readers may prefer a more complete description?
Show threadLydia SchochJan 25, 2025
@fdrc_ff @dandylover1 I tend to write longer alt-text because I love details, but I wonder the same thing!
Show threadI AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥Jan 25, 2025

@lydiaschoch I find that I will put extra information in the alt text. Joke that's not in the post itself, perhaps. Pointing out what's strange in the picture. Explaining the joke. Something like it's a SPOILER tag you're only going to get if you check the alt text.

If web comics can do it, why not everyone?

Besides, the character count on alt text is HUGE.

@fdrc_ff @dandylover1

Show threadGeorgiana BrummellJan 25, 2025
@xinit @fdrc_ff @lydiaschoch Wow! What a wonderful idea! Please forgive my ignorance, but is alt text something that sighted readers can see, or is it only available to screen readers? If so, this is one of the few times in which we actually get to have something that the rest of the world doesn't. If not, it's a great way to encourage sighted people to pay attention to the importance of alt text.
Show threadGiselleOct 28
@dandylover1 @xinit @fdrc_ff @lydiaschoch
Alt text is visible to sighted people. When a photo misses alt text, someone will usually jump on that and ask the poster to add. But it's sometimes the servers' fault that the alt text didn't make it across with the photo (something related to Fediverse decentralisation).
I enjoy reading alt text: it tells me what the poster found interesting, where their focus is, what they want us to know. Alt text can add so much nuance to posts.
Show threadJupiter Rowland
@Giselle @Jennifer Moore 😷 @Georgiana Brummell This is actually a mistake that many Fediverse user keep making because they don't know better, and because the majority of Mastodon users only have 500 characters available.

Alt-text must never contain information that is neither available in the image nor in the post text itself.

That's because not everyone can access alt-text. I'm being absolutely serious here. In order to access alt-text, you need either a screen reader (which sighted people don't have) or at least one sufficiently working hand.

If you want to explain your image, please do so in the post text itself and not in the alt-text.

#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta
Jupiter Rowland - [email protected]

Oct 28 at 2:25pmWeb
Show threadGiselleOct 28
@jupiter_rowland @dandylover1
I wish to argue that each Fediverse user gets to make their own decision of what they want to include in alt text. On the understanding that not everyone may be able to see alt text, and that by not extending what they want to say to everyone, the poster loses out.
Strict rules of what we must, or must never do, don't sit right with me.
Show threadJupiter RowlandOct 28
@Giselle I've been told that by a Mastodon user who really values accessibility. However, she told me that she cannot access alt-texts because both of her hands don't work well enough for her to access alt-text.

It was her who told me to never explain things in alt-text because she and people like her can't read these explanations, because they can't open the alt-text with these explanations inside.

Explaining stuff in alt-text and not in the post throws people like her in front of a bus, just like not describing images at all throws blind and visually-impaired people in front of a bus.

I have explained my image posts in the post text body ever since, regardless of Mastodon users whining that I exceed 500 characters.

Explanations go into the post/toot where everyone can access them.

I mean, sure, you're free to put them only in the alt-text because your character limit is so meagre. You're just as free to write super-short alt-texts that don't really describe anything. You're just as free to not describe your images at all.

But don't complain if someone criticises you for either.

CC: @Georgiana Brummell

#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
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