UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Accurately describing visuals for those who cannot see them is a key skill when creating accessible digital materials. This month, the Penn State Accessibility team would like to highlight a new module in the Accessibility Learning Path that can help users develop this skill.
The new course, titled "Describing Visuals for Accessibility," teaches how to write usable alternative text (alt text) and long descriptions of images. Specific topics covered in the module include:
- Matching alt text to the content of the document
- Distinguishing decorative images from content images
- Creating alt text for clickable images
- How to write and embed long descriptions for technical images
- Considerations for images that could trigger strong emotional reactions
Learn how to register for this module on the Penn State Accessibility website. The Accessibility Learning Path also includes self-paced courses on other aspects of creating accessible content on websites, Microsoft Office, Canvas and other platforms. The IT Accessibility team recommends beginning this learning journey with the "Introduction to Accessibility" course.
For questions about describing visuals, the Accessibility Learning Path or other accessibility resources at Penn State, contact the Penn State Accessibility team at accessibility@psu.edu.