When it comes to improving web accessibility, it’s often about education.
I’ve said it many times over the years.
People and organizations aren’t aware what they’re publishing online creates barriers for disabled people.
When you provide information and recommendations on what can be done to publish content everyone can consume, you hope they take steps to provide a more inclusive user experience.
Basic accessibility recommendations you share with people and organizations.
Whether it’s adding transcripts to podcasts or captioning videos.
Or asking people and organizations to add alternative text to images they share on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
And when you reach the right person who takes action and makes changes to improve accessibility, you take the win.
Which is why I’m celebrating today: four accessibility wins for images published on Twitter.
What is Alternative Text?
Descriptive text that conveys the content and meaning of visual content, alternative text is used by blind , visually-impaired, and neurodivergent people to help them understand what is on a web page or app.
Since 2016, Twitter has provided the ability for users to add alternative text on web Twitter as well as their mobile apps.
Third-party Twitter applications like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social, used by many people and organizations to manage social media, also provide the ability to add alternative text.
Despite being available for years, many Twitter users remain unaware of alternative text. Or how to add it.
Or they comment, “It’s a pain to add alternative text to images. I just want to publish my image.”
That changed when NASA published alternative text for the first set of full-color images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Which captured a lot of attention across media, who reported on NASA’s image alternative text.
NASA set a high standard for alternative text on their images. Personally, I’m glad NASA made more people aware of image alternative text.
At almost the same time, Twitter released an image description reminder feature.
Which allows Twitter users to change a setting so they can be reminded whenever they get ready to publish an image with missing alternative text.
Where is the Alternative Text?
Since the beginning of the year, my most frequent tweet has been in reply to tweets with no image alternative text
Add alternative (alt) text to images so everyone, including blind and visually-impaired people, can consume your content.
With no alt text, you’ve created barriers for disabled people.
Often, I get no response.
So I never know if the Twitter user has taken action or ignored the tweet.
Until I read one of their tweets in my timeline again. A tweet with an image missing alternative text.
Sometimes I repeat my request to add image alternative text. It’s usually the repeat tweets that catches their attention.
And I get a reply, like I did with the Michigan Supreme Court, after they said they would add alternative text to their images:
One of our team members was out until today and was not aware of the change until this afternoon. That said, going forward, we will be sure to add ALT text. Thank you.
— MI Supreme Court (@MISupremeCourt) August 1, 2022
Sometimes, Twitter users act on my reply. And I notice the change when their tweets have alternative text.
Which is why I want to highlight four accessibility wins from these Twitter accounts:
After reading my tweets, all have taken steps in the past two months to add alternative text to images they publish on Twitter.
All are well-known and recognizable Twitter accounts.
I appreciate their leadership in creating inclusive online content for everyone. And hope it influences other Twitter users to do the same.
Wrapping Up
It may seem like a small step. But four Twitter accounts reaching thousands of followers (and in the case of WordPress.com, reaching over a million followers) demonstrating how to create accessible content goes far.
My friends comment I have a lot of tenacity to keep educating Twitter users about image alternative text.
Small steps.
If my tweets about image alternative text result in an inclusive user experience for more people, that’s something to celebrate.
Have you had similar results when you asked for image alternative text on Twitter? Share your experiences in the comments.
