#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
A number of points shown using arrows as a big list below:
Benefits to use AltText for all types of users.
Points use these arrows ➡️ which might make it easier to read or skip this longer list of reasons and questions I have below (aimed at sighted or other users to all chip in about):
1 ➡️ For #Blind people, the benefits are:
Adding #AltText hashtag to posts helps because there are people actively following #AltText itself daily as a hashtag. People enjoy using it to read more posts WITH text description of pictures. Those without text aren't going to be read by this audience. So I'm happy there are people we can #care about.
When descriptions are added it helps signify to those clicking or using tools they can enjoy this content in their feed and is more more suited to them.
2 ➡️ For Sighted people, the benefits are:
When I save your pictures, the AltText helps me copy and paste that description of where, what, who it came from. Sometimes I add your name to revisit your account later or give ideas. It helps come back to talk to you or those that have great flower pictures constantly to look at their account.
So #AltText overall helps the able and less able to understand and be reminded about your work and even keep in touch.
3 ➡️ About Creative Commons for pictures (can skip this section)
For those that want to add #CreativeCommons copyright license e.g. CC-BY-SA-NC etc it can easily write that to help stop big companies using your data (could also put this in your bio to cover it all to avoid copying and pasting as it can be a lot of work),
Add your attribution credits to the AltText (or bio) and show the level of sharing you're ok with.
For example "CC-BY-SA-NC" means it's:
Creative Copyright material
- Attribution needed
- Share-Alike (content can be shared in same way)
- Non-commercial license
#CreativeCommons or #CC is great. More info here:
https://CreativeCommons.org/
4 ➡️ I also would like advice about how well I phrased this post:
What do people prefer for example as words:
The blind / non-blind
Able-Bodied / #Disabled (not sure of this one)
Sighted / Less sighted users
#Accessible / Less #Accessible users ?
#Accessibility sound good like a level of access... but just wanted to hear what others think of these words in the list or big common errors.
This is all new to me but I've been using CamelCase forever and other types of good practices.
Also I'd like advice about presentation of posts...
5 ➡️ When making this post I clicked "CW" to add a Content Warning box even though I didn't need to warn anyone about the content but wanted the one-line compact post because it neatly adds a title bar and "Read more" button to expand the text.
➡️ My question is:
Adding CW doesn't show all the text at once on screen but I was wondering if that makes it harder to access for people trying to 'read' it using other ways?
Does it matter to those trying to use #readers and #accessibility tools if I add CW / Read more box to text? (#question)
THANK YOU TO ALL READING
6 ℹ️ Credits to Sources:
Text of this post was merged from Tanya's posts which I credit directly below about AltText and CamelCase:
1st about AltText in posts
https://tweesecake.social/@BlindQuilter/114507462070654010
2nd about #CamelCase in post #hashtags:
https://tweesecake.social/@BlindQuilter/110605671168837415
Tanya's account is also nice in general with some positive vibes in posts:
@BlindQuilter
7 ℹ️ THE PICTURE ATTACHED...
The picture in this post was originally posted by Ambivalena @ambivalena post here: https://pixelfed.global/p/ambivalena/869884814199224176
I edited this picture add why it's a good example of #AltText (picture is of the moon at dusk and mostly dark shadows and I've added arrows showing AltText and mouse-over description)
8 ℹ️ THANKS AGAIN TO ALL - Hope I did well - a bit long but let me know what I can do to make it better as I can write fast !
I will be personally adding more #AltText #hashtags to my picture posts and re-doing some as I go along since people actually care !
Happy to hear / collect more considerations about #Readers #Braille #Disability #Ability etc.. 💜🥰
@jupiter_rowland What if there are some explanations in main text and AltText?
Seems only terrible if you rely on _only_ AltText which I think nobody does.
Good to see more from other of users...
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
Some of the terms you're using are a bit dubious.
* "less able" sounds a bit patronising (unintentionally I'm sure), and it's seldom accurate anyway. Better comparative terms would be "disabled" vs. "non-disabled".
* "the blind" might be read as dehumanizing, or implying that all blind people have the same needs, which is not the case. Better comparative terms would be "blind or low vision" vs. "sighted".
(1/4)
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
* "able-bodied" is a misnomer, since it only applies to physical disabiity, and is quite a loaded term either way. Again, use "disabled" vs. "non-disabled".
* "less accessible users" doesn't make sense -- the users themselves are not more or less accessible! You could say something like "users with particular access needs" if you need to make a comparison.
(2/4)
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
But I also have a certain disquiet over this kind of take in general. Promoting accessibility as "benefits everyone" can be counter-productive, because it dilutes the importance of accessibility to the status of user preference.
Accessibility is about overcoming barriers and providing equivalent access for people with disabilities, any further benefits to non-disabled people are beside the point.
(3/4)
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
I know there are many who feel that promoting the wider benefits makes it easier for people to accept (and I'm not criticizing you personally), but in my experience, it tends to have the opposite effect, giving people an excuse to ignore it if they're not concerned with the wider benefits.
Finally -- the CW isn't needed, and might give the impression of a sensitive or controversial topic, which it isn't.
(4/4)
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
@siblingpastry @BlindQuilter @ambivalena Indeed a lot to work on (including giving less excuses to people and even doing the work so well there is almost no doubt).
So I welcome anyone to power through all that ambiguity and let's start somewhere until we have nothing else to do about it! ☀️
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
@siblingpastry @BlindQuilter @ambivalena All very good stuff in reply thanks!
Replying to this 3rd reply - I was a bit surprised by the sentence about:
"benefits everyone" can be counter-productive, because it dilutes the importance of accessibility to the status of user preference.
Can see that but I think I was consciously posting to everyone to link the learning to both / many types since mostly those who don't need AltText will be the ones we need to consider changing to these practices not those that do it because they need.
Maybe the equality does make any 1 user group stand out less but not sure it dilutes it at a 'counter-productive' level that much... but yes it's spread focus so I agree and I will think more to see if how far that's damaging.
It was an all-in-1 type message which maybe people can work on or skip through, so appreciate you did that so quickly.
Would love to work with you on more like this but not pushing it unless you have the continuous passion beyond feeling of what an offer like this means and just talk more to find out! (audio chat fine with me too).
#AltText helps everyone - here's why / how:
@freeschool I do take a somewhat militant view on how accessibility is promoted, but I think I probably overstated the case in that example. I agree that your post was a different kind of take anyway -- talking about "reasons to use alt text" rather than specifically "alt text accessibility", so it makes sense to look at all angles of that, not just the accessibility angle.
@ambivalena Will do. And probably start a new conversation which will help that happen.
If you like, let me know the user experience you're having or use-case on your side.
I haven't used pixelfed so it's good to consider users from there.
Thanks..
Never ever add explanations only to the alt-text!
Never ever add license information only to the alt-text!
Never ever add any information only to the alt-text!
This may come as a surprise, but: Not everyone can access alt-text. Just like not everyone can see images in posts, this may be due to physical disabilities just as well as due to technical limitations.
Information not in the image, not in the post, only in the alt-text is inaccessible and therefore permanently lost to these people.
Always put explanations, license information etc. into the post text body! Everyone who can access the post can access the post text.
Money quote-posts:
Deborah wrote the following post Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:56:06 +0200 @jupiter_rowland “Done right also means accessibility for people who might not know much about your image's subject matter either.” The person who posted this is simply flat out incorrect. Alt text is INACCESSIBLE to many disabled people. If the extra text is important, it needs to be in visible text.
Deborah wrote the following post Mon, 10 Jul 2023 23:30:45 +0200 @jupiter_rowland
I have a disability that prevents me from seeing alt text, because on almost all platforms, seeing the alt requires having a screenreader or working hands. If you post a picture, is there info that you want somebody who CAN see the picture but DOESN’T have working hands to know? Write that in visible text. If you put that in the alt, you are explicitly excluding people like me.
But you don’t have to overthink it. The description of the image itself is a simple concept.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #QuotePost #QuoteTweet #QuoteToot #QuotePost