Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility Coordinator
Phone: 817-272-5961
Email: accessibility@uta.edu
Alt Text Best Practices
Alt Text
In order to be accessible to people with disabilities, alternative text (alt text) must be assigned to every image, hyperlink, chart, table and graph placed on a website or in a document/email. In Word and PowerPoint, right click on the image and click on Edit Alt Text to reach the area to type in the alt text for the screenreader. This will also provide you the option to check a box and mark the items as decorative. For webpages, you will need to ensure images have alt text assigned to them. The process will differ slightly between Sitecore, CampusPress and Cascade. Remember, even your images uploaded to social media require alt text. Here are some handy links:
Assigning alt text is not difficult. The challenge can be determining what text to use. There are many opinions! The short answer is, “It depends.” The long answer is, “Ensure that you are concisely conveying your message.” If you would like to discuss alt text, please contact accessibility@uta.edu. Let’s have the conversation!
This is an excellent article, "Context is the most critical aspect of alt-text everyone seems to miss", by Sheri Byrne-Harber from UX Collective.
How to add alt text
Follow these step-by-step instructions provided by Microsoft Support to add alt text in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel or Word. Review the links above to add alt text to your social media posts.