🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)1d ago

I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you're yelling at a person on Fedi for not using #AltText, stop. Please.

Should you use alt-text? Yes!

Should you boost posts without alt-text? No!

Should you yell at companies and bots who don't use alt-text? Fuck yeah!

Should you try your best to make Fedi a more accessible, and safe place for everyone—including those who have trouble writing alt-text? Of course.

Should you mention @altbot or #Alt4Me *occasionally* so folx know they're both wonderful tools that can help make Fedi a more inclusive place? It would be impolite not to.

But—and let me make this clear—don't be a dick to folx who forget alt-text, or who have trouble writing it for whatever reason; it's not very punk of you.

Show threadIsabel Ruffell1d ago

@alice @altbot

For the record, I rarely say anything, certainly in comparison with the number of times I encounter posts that are meaningless to me, but I am curious what you expect disabled people to do to encourage the use of basic courtesy except by pointing out its omission.

Is this about tone, or is this about telling cripples to get back in their box?

Sorry for yelling.

#accessibility #disability #altText

Show thread🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)1d ago

@iaruffell I think you very much misinterpreted my post and my intentions.

I've been fighting for greater accessibility and safety for marginalized groups on Fedi for years, and my instance was recently #1 for alt-text on Mastodon.

I also founded @AltAfterDark specifically to help address the issues around accessibility with adult content.

Show threadIsabel Ruffell

@alice @AltAfterDark I am sorry for that.

But your post did not seem to offer much space for the polite reminder to an individual. Yes, there is a difference between that and "yelling" or "being a dick", but it is all too often conveyed to crips, either f2f or online, that even to raise accessibility issues is to be considered disruptive. Even in progressive circles, you get the sigh, the eye-roll, the sarcastic compliance.

Mar 31 at 5:54pmWeb
Show thread🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)1d ago

@iaruffell I felt I'd covered that in the "Should you mention @altbot or #Alt4Me *occasionally* so folx know they're both wonderful tools that can help make Fedi a more inclusive place? It would be impolite not to." part.

The whole reason I wrote the post as a (sort of tongue-in-cheek) call-out to folx shaming people for not using alt-text is because whenever I post about the need for accessibility here, people come out of the fuckin' woodwork to tell me I'm being ableist for making them write alt-text for their images.

They often seem to miss the irony of writing paragraphs about me asking for alt-text being ableist in response to a pro-accessibility post...

Show threadIsabel Ruffell1d ago

@alice

Ouch. Really? My head hurts. I don't think I've had that one. I think we've just had very different experiences of negotiating accessibility and consequent assumptions.

I am going to have to process how(if I have got this right) requestingprovision of alt text is ableist.

And I write this using assistive tech, a Perkins keyboard for my phone

Can anyone amplify?..

Show threadBewilderedKat 1d ago

@iaruffell
I also request alt-text routinely.

An example of something I may say: "I'd love to boost this post but there's no alt text on the images. Would you please add some so that I can boost this?"

Many of my requests for folks to include alt-text are well-received though. Some folks are genuinely unsure about how to write alt-text, and need some guidance; Some are only hearing about alt-text for the first time; Others may have low energy to give alt-text the attention it deserves, but still want to post media, and are happy to accept alt-text suggestions as the energy cost is low enough.

This is the subset of users that will respond positively to simple, polite requests that don't put up unnecessary barriers. Immediately jumping to harsh criticism of these folks will not usually have the same cooperative results, and I believe that is what Alice was pointing out.

I've also had some hostile reactions when requesting that people add alt-text.
One of the things they seem to take issue with is my stance on not boosting posts that don't have alt text. It's a very simple boundary, that I feel is reasonable. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything.

Some folks seem to perceive this as me depriving them of "reach" or "exposure" and thus some sort of punitive action against them. This feels wrong to me for several reasons that I won't dive into.

I feel like these sorts of gaps in communication are easier to resolve when people are civil and kind to each other rather than adversarial.

Show thread🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)1d ago

@h3mmy I always appreciate your answers Kat 💕

@iaruffell

Show threadMarianne1d ago
@h3mmy @iaruffell I also try not to boost things without. I rarely ask, but I have done. Seems reasonable to me as well.
Show threadDidthat1d ago
@h3mmy
Ok what is alt TEXT I know I am stupid maybe I used that at one time.
Show threadWitch11h ago
@Didthat1957 @h3mmy Alt-text is text attached to an image zhat describes zhe image. If someone can't see zhe image clear enough or at all, zhen zhey can configure zheir device to display zhe alt-text to zhem.