Congratulations, Accessibility Warriors! We were victorious in our first battle with the notorious two-headed foe, Text and Typography! Now, let us continue our journey into the Upside Down with confidence, as another, more formidable foe stands before us: Image Accessibility.
Over the next two weeks, we will make the images we use–in Canvas, in our slide decks, and in our digital documents–accessible to all. We will tackle the Alt. Text of our informative images, decorative and functional images, and complex images like charts, graphs, and flow charts.
Why? We know that when the images in our courses are not accessible, it impacts all students, from those engaging with our content using a mobile device to those using a screen reader.
The Battle Plan
- All decorative images in our courses, slides, and digital documents, we will mark as decorative. When using Google Slides, leave the Alt Text box blank. In Canvas, PowerPoint, and digital documents, click on the image and tick the “mark as decorative” box.
- When we use functional images, for example, an image of a printer, use instructional Alt text such as “print this page.”
- When we use informative images, we will ensure the images’ accessibility in two ways:
- Describe the image in context or add a caption. Captions provide rich information for all learners.
- Add meaningful Alt. Text. Alt. Text needs to be concise enough for screen readers while still conveying the essential information
- Finally, confident in our skills, we will take time to write Alt. Text for our most complex images, such as mind-maps and flow charts.
Tips for meaningful Alt. Text: Be concise. Avoid redundancy. (“Image of” or “photo of” are redundant phrases.) Consider context. Use keywords, but avoid complicating alt text.
Example:
Tips for Complex Image Alt. Text: Use ASU’s Image Accessibility Generator, or consider getting help from a generative AI tool.
Let’s look at an example of a complex image:
Caption (detailed description for context): “An infographic from Maricopa County Public Health showing statistics on heat-related deaths from 2018 data. The graphic reveals that 1,292 people have died from heat since 2006, with 182 deaths and 2,695 hospital visits in 2018 alone. Most victims were over 50 years old and had lived in Arizona for 20+ years. Deaths occur March through November, peaking when temperatures reach 85°F or above, with 40% of deaths happening indoors.”
Alt Text (concise, essential information): “Infographic: Heat kills in Maricopa County. 1,292 heat deaths since 2006. In 2018: 182 deaths, 2,695 hospital visits. 7 in 10 victims were 50+ years old, half were long-term Arizona residents. Deaths occur March-November when temperatures reach 85°F+, with 40% occurring indoors.”
Resources: You Never Go to Battle Alone!
Check out ASU’s Image Accessibility Generator. If you are wrestling with writing Alt Text for quizzes and tests, this handy resource might help: “Writing Alt Text for Instructional Images.”
If you’d like to meet with your fellow warriors to learn more about this week’s adversary, image accessibility, sign up for an Image Accessibility Workshops on Thursday, September 25 at 1:30 PM, or Friday, September 26 at 9:00 AM. We also welcome you to drop by our Accessibility Virtual Support hour on Friday, September 26, at 12:00 PM.
If you’d like to dig into the topic of image accessibility on your own, the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative does an excellent job of clarifying the specifics of each Image Accessibility issue and demonstrating how to repair those roadblocks. MCLI is also offering short self-paced trainings on various accessibility issues. (Scroll down to “Making Images Accessible.”)
Warriors, it’s go time. When this battle is behind us, we will all be one substantial step closer to meeting our accessibility goals!
