Alt Text Comparison

No Alt

This image has no alt text, nor any surrounding information to tell users that cannot see the image what information is presented.

Bad Alt

The alt text for this image is the file name (IMG_1817.png) which is not only useless, but confusing.

Effective Alt

This image has alternative text that describes the image to screen reader users.

Contextually Decorative

In this example, the photo is accompanied by a caption which contains the essential information depicted in the image. This means the image does not need alt text.

Protestors at UBC display a cardboard sign that reads: "All those land acknowledgements & you support Israel?"

Adding a figure caption, where appropriate, is the best solution as all users can gain information and context from the caption.

The following video demonstrates screen reader software interacting with the above images.