Graphics (either scroll down through page or select from one of the following choices)
Reason & Solution for why one should providing text descriptions for graphics
Examples
How To's
Download the Text Based Version
> Text
> Graphics
> Color
> Table
> Audio and Video Files
> PDF Files
> Adobe Dreamweaver Free Accessibility Tools
> Other Recommendations
Provide Text Descriptions for Graphics or Images
Reason: Users with screen readers
can hear a description of images that have text description. Text descriptions
for images can be viewed using non-graphic browsers (e.g. Lynx), or if
graphics are turned off in a browser.
Solution: Use the ALT label or Alternative text to include descriptive text for images.
Examples
Does meet the standard:
Does not meet the standard:
How to's
Visually the ALT or Alternative tag is invisible, which is why there "appears" to be no difference between the Does meet and Does not meet examples. Yet, if one used a screen reader the ALT text is read and assists the user in knowing what the image represents. IF the image is not important to the site, then skip adding the ALT tag.
Each editor is slightly different in how it uses the ALT feature. Typically though, when "inserting" an image into a webpage via an HTML editor it will ask for an ALT text description or show some window when the image is selected that allows it to be added. The following image is an example of how Mozilla's HTML editor allows for adding of an ALT tag during inserting of the image.
