Accessible Images

All images must have “alt-text,” which is a type of metadata that is supposed to describe what the image says. If you are including images that are necessary for understanding your content, such as using a banner with important information or including a graphic that explains theoretical concepts, you will need to add alt-text that describes all the important components for screen readers. All students should be able to have access to this important information. However, if the picture is merely decorative, alt-text can be left blank or — if your LMS requires it, like Blackboard Ultra — you can just add “Decorative image” or a short description.

Unfortunately, not all screen readers pick up alt-text for some reason. Therefore, the best practice is to always also describe your image in textual form in the body of the text so that your participants can read it. The best practice is to include a short alt-text like “Figure of conflict styles” and a longer textual description in the body of the text that describes what is depicted. The screen reader will read aloud more naturally this way and the text becomes copy/pastable.g, but they are very much worth it. In many countries, accurate captions are also legally mandated.