HLN #17: Consider Adding Alt Texts to Aid People With Visual Health Needs

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Eight weeks ago, I downloaded an app, Be My Eyes. As the name suggests, it is a community-driven call app, where people living with serious visual impairments, like blindness, can rely on those who don’t, to help them find what they are searching for.

I have heard and read amazing stories of people who receive calls to help find clothes of a particular colour, or objects of specific description.?I too await that call to serve someday!

I am often amazed at how mobile technologies are solving for a more inclusive community. Isn’t it interesting to hear devices mention the names of callers from a contact list when the phone rings? Yet,?interesting?does not qualify the feeling for the one who is visually impaired.?Fulfilling?is the word.

We can make life fulfilling too when we create content, especially, visual content like photos or graphics, that is accessible to the blind. How do we make sure that they can?see?what we see, using their imaginative intelligence? Think?alt texts!

If you have tried to open an image on a slow network or a website that takes some time to load, you will notice a written copy with texts or words that describe or are associated with that image. Those are called?Alt Texts,?also called alt tags, alt descriptions, or alternative texts.

From the phone call example I shared?two paragraphs ago, most devices have screen readers that just don’t mention the names of callers but can also read out alt texts to people with visual health needs.

You can use alt tags when you upload images on social media sites, email newsletters or your website’s content management system (like WordPress). Sometimes, they are automatically generated and are either editable (content management systems or via the website’s source code) or not editable (Facebook profile picture).

While some people use alt tags because it improves Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and allows search engine bots to crawl, rank or optimize the site, one thing to keep in mind is that it solves for digital accessibility and inclusion. There are several tutorials on how to use alt-texts on various platforms, but here's one from a recent tweet.

How To Use Alt Texts on Twitter

• First, take a look at the merged screenshot, below. Did you notice the red arrow pointing to an “ALT” symbol on the bottom left of the image on the left? This shows only when there is an alt tag on the image. If you tap on that symbol, you will find the image description, as shown in the image on the right.?(I found it hard accessing the alt text from my phone, so I used my desktop)

• To create alt texts on a tweet that has an image, insert your image in the tweet, alongside the appropriate caption. Then find the “ALT” symbol and click on it as I have shown below.

• Insert your alt descriptions. Note that the limit is a 1000-character count. When you’re done, tap the “Done” button at the upper right section of your phone screen, then publish, or save to your drafts (if you’re still editing the caption).

Using alt texts is like parenting! no one has it all figured out. You only grow wings and learn the best practices as you fly. The most important thing is to begin by applying what you have learned here.

Sure, you learned something new!?Well, don’t keep it a secret.?Share?with your friends and colleagues. Someone they serve will find this meaningful for the (patients centred) narratives or health literacy materials that they create. Don’t forget to share and tag me on Twitter or Linkedin, with the hashtag #HealthLitNotes

Further Reading

Havard University’s Digital Accessibility Article:?Write Good Alt Text to Describe Images