What is this “image description” thing all about?
Have you noticed square brackets and something called an “image description“ at the end of captions on some people’s social media posts? Ever wondered what they were?
Image description: Infographic with an illustration of a White-breasted Nuthatch and the following words. Image descriptions describe the contents of a graphic or photo so that people who use screen readers don't miss out on that information.
Many people who are blind or have low vision use screen reader software on their computers and smart phones. (Apple devices have VoiceOver built in; Android uses TalkBack.) Screen readers read aloud text on websites, in Word documents, emails and so on... but they can't 'read' photos. Image descriptions describe the contents of a graphic or photo so that people who use screen readers don't miss out on that information. They can also help others understand the key points of an image, and ‘stand in’ if a photo isn’t loading on a website.
To write an image description, consider the important information in the image or graphic, and what you’re trying to convey to viewers… and write that out. Make sure to include:
Colors of clothes people are wearing; their facial expressions; their skin color;
What people or animals are doing or holding;
The bird species name, and a brief description of it’s size and colors;
Placement of items or people (“in front of” or “next to'‘); the background;
If any text is included in the graphic, type that text out too.
Alt text (alternative text) and video descriptions do the same thing. It's easy to add these 'invisible' brief descriptions to images and videos when you add them to your website. Depending on how your website is built will depend on how you add alt text. The Birdability website, for example, is hosted on Squarespace, and instructions for added alt text to Squarespace websites can be found here.
Image description: Infographic with an illustration of a White-breasted Nuthatch on each and the following words. Camel case uses capital letters for each word in a hashtag. Instead of typing #birdingisforeverybody type #BirdingIsForEverybody. Screen readers will be able to read each word, instead of a bunch of random letters.
On Instagram and Twitter, Camel Case uses capital letters for each word in a hashtag. Instead of typing #birdingisforeverybody type #BirdingIsForEverybody. Screen readers will be able to read each word, instead of a bunch of random letters, and it’s much easier for most sighted people to pick out the words of a hashtag too! (Don’t worry: we’ve already tested this out, and it works just the same as all lowercase hashtags! You just have to type the whole thing out, rather than choosing the suggested option...)
Web accessibility is a huge barrier for many screen reader users. You can read more about all the other components that go into web accessibility here. Including image descriptions, alt text and using Camel Case are easy ways individuals and organizations can be more inclusive of everybody.
Yes, it takes more time, but not much more. It all comes down to the fact that it’s not enough to assume everyone knows they’re included. You have to be intentionally welcoming and inclusive.
Image description: Infographic with an illustration of a White-breasted Nuthatch on each and the following words. It’s not enough to just think you’re being inclusive. You have to be intentionally inclusive.
Please note: On websites, alt text is used and is hidden from view. We have included captions with image descriptions here purely for illustrative purposes.
