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Alt Tags and Screen Readers

I cant claim these tips as my own, though my web accessibility hero Bim Egan (of the RNIB) recently gave me a few simple tips regarding alt tags and screen readers.

* Keep your alt tags as concise as possible.
* Don't just describe exactly what is going on in an image, describe what message it is trying to convey.
* It is ok to leave the alt attribute blank (alt="") as it can be more of a hindrance to blind users than a help.
* When an image is essentially just style, use it as a background-image.

Spending a few hours watching (and listening) to a blind user on the web is a mind blowing experience and will totally change how you approach accessibility

Accessibility 10 months, 1 week ago James Fenton 2 Comments

2 Comments Have your Say

  1. #: MT - 9 months ago

    Alt is not a tag, it's attribute.

  2. #: James Fenton - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    Tips on writing good alt text - http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200811/writing_good_alt_text/

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