Imagine a world brimming with vibrant images—a world where visuals convey meaning, evoke emotions, and share knowledge. Now, envision navigating this world without sight, where images are mere silences. This is the daily reality for those who are blind or low-vision. Alt Text, or alternative text, bridges this gap, ending these silences and turning them into vivid dialogue. Consider the story of Anuja, a visually impaired student who, through the use of screen readers and well-written Alt Text, could ‘see’ the illustrations in her biology textbook, allowing her to demonstrate subject-matter expertise and maintain a passion for education. This simple yet profound support enables Anuja and many others to engage fully with digital content, highlighting why Alt Text is not just an addition but a critical aspect of digital accessibility.

Alt Text Definition

Alt text, short for alternative text, is a concise written description of an image presented on web pages and digital documents. It serves a crucial role in web accessibility, primarily assisting users who rely on screen readers due to visual impairments. When a screen reader encounters an image, it reads out the Alt Text, providing the user with a verbal depiction of the image’s content and purpose. This enables all users, regardless of visual capability, to access the information conveyed by images, ensuring an inclusive digital environment. Beyond aiding those with visual impairments, Alt Text also supports users in low-bandwidth areas or with technical limitations that prevent images from loading, ensuring the message is never lost.

Activity

This H5P activity will help introduce the concept of well-written and appropriate Alt Text for images. It will support your understanding of why Alt Text is a fundamental component of web accessibility and can better aid your understanding of the role of Alt Text in providing equal access to digital content for all users.

Timeline of Alt Text Development and Digital Accessibility Legislation

Activity

1991: The introduction of the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) specifications, which included the ability to add images to web pages. Initially, there wasn’t a standardized method for providing alternative text for images.

1995: HTML 2.0 specification is officially recommended by the W3C, including support for the ‘alt’ attribute, allowing web developers to provide a text alternative for images.

1999: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 is published by the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), providing the first comprehensive guidelines for web accessibility, including recommendations for the use of Alt Text.

2005: The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) becomes law, requiring organizations to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities in Ontario.

2008: WCAG 2.0 is published, offering more detailed guidance on making web content accessible, including clearer standards for alternative text that align with modern web technologies.

2013: The Standard on Web Accessibility was adopted, requiring all websites controlled by the Government of Canada to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines, excluding live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions.

2019: The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) was passed with the aim to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040. This federal law focuses on identifying, removing, and preventing barriers in areas that fall under federal jurisdiction, including information and communication technologies (ICT).

Attributions:
This page has been adapted from:

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (n.d.). Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Retrieved March 9, 2024, from https://www.w3.org/WAI/

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. (n.d.). AODA.ca. Retrieved March 9, 2024, from https://www.aoda.ca/