Images are powerful teaching tools to add to documents and course sites. The use of images breaks up walls of text on documents and web pages, enhancing engagement and piquing interest. However, images require additional steps to make them accessible to all students. This page addresses the use of alt text to achieve this accessibility.

Alternative text or “alt text” is text written to describe an image for students using screen readers or other assistive devices. Alt text provides the context or meaning behind an image and is essential for accessibility. Without it, students might miss critical information, leading to a less inclusive web experience
 

To write a good alt text, make sure to convey the content and the purpose of the image in a concise and unambiguous manner. Reflect on the reason that you are providing the image to the students and be sure that the text addresses that reason.

Avoid using text in images as the sole method of conveying important information. If you use images with text in them, repeat the text in your content. In alt text of such images, mention the existence of the text and its intent.

When uploading an image to a document or slide presentation, you may be prompted to input the alt-text as part of the upload. When an image has already been added to your content, right click on the image to bring up options for “alt text”.
 

• Be Descriptive, Not Redundant: Provide a clear, simple description of the image that gives the same information someone would gain from viewing it.
• Keep It Short and Relevant: Alt text should be brief, ideally under 125 characters. Overly detailed descriptions can be cumbersome for screen reader users.
• Consider the Image’s Context: The alt text should provide meaning based on the image’s context in the page. Alt text should reflect the purpose of the image in your course, which may be completely different from how the image would be described in an alternative context.
• Function-Based Descriptions for Links or Buttons: If an image is clickable (e.g., a button or a link), the alt text should describe what will happen when it’s clicked or what the action is.
• Don’t Include “Image of” or “Picture of”: Since screen readers already announce that it’s an image, there’s no need to prefix the alt text with “image of” or “picture of.”

There are several errors related to Alt Text that UDOIT may return. Most of these can be resolved by either marking the image as decorative or typing alternative text in the Alt Text entry as appropriate for how you are using the associated image. 

Alt text: Images included as purely visual elements may be marked as decorative.

For an "Alternative Text is Too Lengthy for Optimal Screen Reader Experience" error, review and edit the alternative text in the Alt Text box. You can use the link below the issue description to go to the content where the image appears and check whether the surrounding text describes the image. If so, back in UDOIT, you can check the box to mark the image as decorative.

For an “Input Image May Be Missing an alt Attribute" suggestion, select it, and, below the issue description, find the link that will quickly take you to your content so you can download it and fix it with an HTML editor. After you remediate the content, replace the inaccessible file with the new accessible version. When you return to UDOIT, select Scan Now on the top right-hand side to stop the issue from surfacing.