Alt Text for Images

Alt text is vital for people with visual impairments or slow/unreliable internet connections to gain access to image information. Images on your website are usually communicating visual information, but if someone cannot see the images, how can we ensure the information is accessible to anyone visiting our sites? Many people with visual disabilities utilize Screen Readers, which are software programs that allow users to read any information displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthisizer or braille display (for more information on Screen Readers visit here).

You can visit LSU's Accessibility Site to learn more about our requirements for following WCAG Accessibility Guidelines as well as helpful resources and how-to's to make your content ADA compliant.

Guidelines for writing Alt Text

• In Modern Campus, Alt Text is added to an image when you click the image button to insert an image on you page. The Alt Text is added in the Alternative Description text field when you're choosing an image.
• You don't have to begin your alt text with "picture of..." or "image of..." The Screen Reader will provide that information to the user. You can use descriptive statements like logo, infographic, chart, or diagram.
• Flyers and event advertisements are generally not allowed.
  • Flyers usually contain more information than can be conveyed in alt text. It is better for ADA Compliance to just take the information that would have been on the flyer and put it on the actual web page. This way, a Screen Reader can process the information given as a normal page.
  • Logos with wording are allowed, but if the logo contains any text or "slogans," those must be included in the alt text as well.
• Determine if the image is complex. Infographics, charts, and diagrams are allowed, but must be accompanied by separate spaces on the same page or a separate page that includes all of the information being conveyed. Refer to our complex images page for more information.

Example: