Alt text is a text alterative to an image. It allows people who cannot see the image to gain the information that the image communicates.
Alt text should:
Creating alt text for an image is complex because the wording of the alt text depends on the purpose of the image and the surrounding context.
Before writing alt text, ask yourself:
For example, take the picture of Lucy Maud Montgomery below. The purpose of the image will be connected to the larger work it is being encorporated into:
The same image has a different purpose in each of the examples.
Another important aspect of creating alt text, is to take the surround content into acount when drafting it. As mentioned above, it is important to avoid redundancy and be succinct.
When considering contex, alt text should:
To add or edit alt text, you first need to determine which type of image you are dealing with. We can categorize images into two primary types, functional and decorative:
Images added to Word are automatically given alt text. To edit or add alt text within Word:
When placing an image in a Word document you must ensure that it is formatted inline with text. This helps to ensure that screen readers recognize the image as a part of the document. To ensure an image is inline with text:
Go to your workbook and complete Step 5: Alt text.
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