Images
Images
While images and graphics make content more pleasant and easier to understand for some, they are challenging to those who have disabilities.
Who is impacted by images (when considering accessibility)?
People using screen readers
Text alternatives are read aloud
People using speech input software
Text alternatives are read aloud
People browsing speech-enabled websites
Text alternatives are read aloud
Mobile web users
Images may be turned off to conserve data
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Images are indexed by SEO
Whenever the images are required for understanding the digital content, the images must have alternative text.
Avoid images of text
This should be reserved for logos only, the alternative text must match the text exactly, and it must still meet contrast standards.
If the picture is a chart, you should always provide the chart vs. an image of the chart
Decorative Images
Images that are completely decorative (e.g., a border on a slide) should be marked as decorative. When an image is marked as decorative, a screen reader does not announce its presence at all.
Magnification
Images must be able to be zoomed in 200% without pixelation.
If possible, share images as .svg files as they are easier to enlarge and less likely to pixelate
Add Alt Text to Images (Microsoft Support)
Alt Text and Image Description (SeeWriteHear)
Alt-Text for Art & Design Images (Washington University Saint Lewis)
Creating Accessible Flow Charts (Boise State University)
Flowcharts & Concept Maps (Penn State)
Images (Yale University)
Images Tutorial (W3C)