--- tags: orientation --- # digital accessibility session media accessibility * images * need alt text * text that represents the image * used for someone who reads the screen out loud * need to be accurate enough that someone who reads the image knows why it's there and what's there * be specific - distinguish between images that might have something similar (i.e., person with a dog) * be concise - leave out things that aren't relevant * if there's text in the image, make sure to convey that text too * if something is critical to understanding the image, try to include this too * tldr: short and sweet! save long descriptions for the text that surrounds the image instead * videos * captions * include speaker identifications * include non-speech sounds * automated captions can be useful - better than nothing even though they're not perfect * audio description * spoken audio track of what's visually happening in a video (so not just dialogue) * try scripting out what the visuals are * audio * transcripts * very helpful because they're searchable * include speaker identification * include non-speech sounds * document and web accessibility * use headings * start with h1, then next one should be h2, and then h3 for whatever is the heading contained within h2, etc. * format text to improve readability * use color intentionally * write descriptive link text (let's someone know where that link will take them) * avoid tables as the only place where the user can get the content * should include a caption describing the contents of the table * use automated checkers to assist (Canvas has one embedded) * use white space to break up large groups of text * links * use bullet points if listing several links * change link text to better represent what the link goes to * avoid center aligning large blocks of text since it's harder for the eye to read center aligned text * color - don't embed meaning in this alone. include some additional text or style to indicate that that text is more important (so, don't just make important text red; you could use the word "important" before that text) * stick to darker shades on the spectrum so that they contrast with white background ### further resources [The case for describing race in alternative text attributes](https://ux.shopify.com/the-case-for-describing-race-in-alternative-text-attributes-a093380634f2)