Alternate Text - Tutorial

• Within the alt text of the image element in PowerPoint.
• Within the context or surroundings of the image itself.

What Alt Text is Not

Alt text is not the same as a tooltip or title attribute, which is what you see when you hover over an image. Try it with the Apple logo on the left. Sometimes the alt text is a repeat of the tooltip, but the tooltip or title attribute is not usually read by a screen reader, it cannot be enlarged for low vision users and it doesn’t display in all browsers. It is best not to put important information in the tool-tip/title attribute.

Workflow Suggestions

We advise faculty to write their documents so they are meaningful without images. Add the images to reinforce the text material. Then just add a brief alt text description for reference purposes or a caption for all users’ benefit.

If images do add any new information to the text content, that information should be included in the alt text or caption.

One useful way to think about images in your online courses is to ask yourself the following question: Can all students obtain the necessary “accessible information” about the image through either (a) the alt text, (b) the image caption, (c) the surrounding text content, or (d) a long description page? If not, then students with visual disabilities are at a disadvantage.

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Watch this video to learn how to apply alternative text in PowerPoint. Windows PowerPoint 2016 has a new update that should expedite your accessibility efforts.