Something that's happening more and more often:

1) I see an image on Mastodon that has text in it...
2) ...but because of image preview/cropping, I can only see part of it.
3) So I hover my mouse over it to get the alt text...
4) ...but it doesn't have any!
5) So I say, "Screw it, if it wasn't worth your time and effort, it's not worth mine", and go on to the next post.

If you want *sighed users* to read your text images... put in alt text!

#AltText #accessibility #AccessForAll #AltTextIsLove

It's terribly common for airlines to break passengers' wheelchairs. You can't take them on the plane with you, of course; you *have to* check them. Put them at the baggage handlers' mercy.

Imagine you had to hand over every pair of shoes and even sandals before boarding the plane, and sometimes they lost them, and you were stuck, barefoot at your destination, unable to go anywhere. Even if they paid for repair*, your vacation is still ruined.

* They're not obligated to do so ☹ #AccessForAll

Hello new Mastodon users!
I came over here in one of the earlier phases of #TwitterMigration, and am happy to say that I love it here. I still miss my old network but have enjoyed building a new one.

I'm a Mountain Leader and occasional outdoor writer based on the Isle of Arran.

Amongst many subjects, I toot about #Nature #Mountains #Scotland the #OutdoorIndustry #AccessForAll #Cycling #Adventure #Arran and my #doggo.

You might find me tooting about #LeTour bit this month too...

Beautiful film frpm Berghaus and Coldhouse about outdoor instructor and mountaineer Morag Skelton. How do we make our courses more accessible? What additional skills are we lacking (in my case, many!) Also, wow she's amazing! 🤩

#Outdoors
#DisabilityAwareness
#AccessForAll

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jmud9_VAi6M

I'm getting really sick of how many images I'm seeing with no #AltText.

Since Mastodon's default 16:9 image preview often crops important info from pics in other aspect ratios (especially portrait-shaped things), I've taken to hovering my mouse to see the alt to find out if the thing's worth clicking into.

At this point, I'll no longer bother if it has no alt. If you don't put an alt text on your images, this *sighted* user might not see them. Do what you like with this info. #AccessForAll

Thank you and solidarity to all gathering on Saturday together with @lecheilednd and so many other great organisations to stand up for a healthy, welcoming and inclusive society. Sorry to miss it. It’s going to be a landmark day. #IrelandForAll #RefugeesWelcome #AccessForAll #DiversityNotDivision

This seems like a good day to repeat that I will not boost any image that doesn't have a reasonable alt text.

I've seen far too many alt-less images lately. Some of them were really good. But if you want reach on this platform, make your stuff accessible.

#NoAltNoBoost #NoBoostWithoutAlt #accessibility #a11y #AccessForAll

"Visits to parks, community gardens and other urban green spaces may lower city dwellers’ use of drugs for anxiety, insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma, research has found."

#GreenSpaces
#MentalHealth
#Access
#AccessForAll

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/17/visiting-green-spaces-deters-mental-health-drug-use-researchers-find

I've been clear about not boosting images without alt texts. But I think we need to educate people more about how an alt text should contain all of the text in an image (unless that's impossible for some reason).

I've seen too many alts that "summarize" the text - often leaving out important elements, sometimes to the point of uselessness.

Mastodon allows 1500 characters for an alt text. No need to be stingy!

#NoBoostWithoutAlt
#NoBoostWithoutCompleteAlt
#accessibility
#accessForAll

@Jorah Yikes! That sounds like a major, and dangerous, #accessibility #FAIL. ☹

#AccessibilityFail #AccessForAll

As Tekla Babyak, independent disabled scholar in musicology put it, “The heuristic is a powerful way to encourage reviewers to be more accepting of diverse forms of self-expression, prose style & structure.”

Editors can use this heuristics too.

“An Anti-Racist Reviewing Heuristic”
Catherine Cocks
H-Net Book Channel

https://networks.h-net.org/node/1883/discussions/10964317/anti-racist-reviewing-heuristic

#AccessForAll #Antiracism
#Gatekeeping #PeerReview #Editing #Diversity #Disability

I know times are tight - but if you have the means, please give some £ towards the Kevin James Award; providing state school students a transformative experience at Arvon. Arvon changed my life & the impact on young people is tremendous. Everything helps - from the cost of a cuppa to a book - paperback or hardback - and beyond! 🙏🏽

Link below!

#creativity #accessforall #writing #bookstadon #writers #screenwriters #screenwriting #poets #poetry

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/kevinjacksonaward

One of the cool things about using alt texts (or image descriptions): they allow sighted users to read stuff without an extra step if some of the text in an image has been cut off by the preview being cropped or scaled.

I'm looking at an image right now of "an Ursula K. LeGuin quote" that has some text running off the right edge of the visible preview. But if I just hover, I can read it all, without having to click into it.

That's #accessibility helping everyone. #AccessForAll

RT @ShamrockRovers@twitter.com

🎧 l Headsets providing Audio Described Commentary are available for visually impaired fans at this evening's game @tallaghtstadium@twitter.com

This initiative is part of SRFC's inclusivity work supported by @sdublincoco@twitter.com, @IonaNcbi@twitter.com & IRES

@NCBI_sightloss@twitter.com l #AccessForAll

Thank you, thank you to University of Texas Libraries for renewing their support of Engineering Archive through the Membership Circle!

https://blog.engrxiv.org/membership-circle/

#Engineering #OpenEngineering #AccessForAll

Huge THANK YOU to MIT Libraries for renewing their commitment to open access in engineering through the Engineering Archive Membership Circle!

https://blog.engrxiv.org/membership-circle/

#Engineering #OpenEngineering #AccessForAll