Welcome to Week 7 of the Digital Deep Clean! This week, we’re heading into the “Kitchen." When working in the kitchen, labels are important. Is that white powder in the container flour or sugar? Without a label, you’re left guessing. The same is true for the images we use in our digital content. Whether it’s an email, a PDF, a slide deck, or a webpage, every image needs a short description. Adding alternative text (alt-text) isn't just about describing what a picture looks like; it’s about conveying the story the image is meant to tell. 

Week Seven Guidance

Key Tips When Adding Alt-Text

• Skip the "Image of": Screen readers automatically say "Graphic" or "Image," so save your character count for the description.
• Be inclusive: Use neutral, descriptive language. If the person's identity (race, gender, etc.) is relevant to the context of the story, include it; if not, focus on the action.
• End with a period: This tells the screen reader to pause slightly, making the description sound more natural to the listener.
• Identify decorative images: If an image is purely for "decor"—like a blue line or a generic swirl—mark it as "decorative" in your tool. This tells the screen reader to skip it so the user can focus on the important info.
   

Examples of Effective Alt-Text 

Effective alt-text should be descriptive and provide the context of why the image is there. Below are a few examples of how to move from non-compliant "clutter" to compliant, high-quality descriptions:

Images
Non-compliant: 

• “Bell Tower” (too vague to be meaningful)
• “Image of the UC Riverside Bell Tower” (redundant; screen readers already announce that it is an image)
• “IMG_5678_Final.jpg” (file names do not convey any meaning)

Compliant: 

• “The UC Riverside Bell Tower stands tall against a blue sky, surrounded by green trees and students using campus walkways.”

Infographics 
Non-compliant: 

• “Location data.” (does not convey the story of the chart)
• “A data table showing the number of fall 2025 UCR undergraduates by home location.” (missing data; this tells them what it is, but not what it says)

Compliant: 

• "A data table showing that the majority of fall 2025 UCR undergraduates are from either Los Angeles County (25.9%) or Riverside County (21.5%)."

Event Promotion
Non-compliant: 

• No alt-text provided (does not provide any information)
• “UCR Open House Medicine Health Patient Care Riverside California.” (keyword stuffing; keep in mind that alt-text is for accessibility not search engine optimization)

Compliant: 

• "Event flyer for the UCR School of Medicine’s open house featuring the school’s Education Building 2 and an abstract blue, green, gold, and purple background. Text reads: Save the Date! UCR School of Medicine Open House. April 11, 2026, 10 AM to 2 PM.”

The Weekly Challenge

• Familiarize: Familiarize yourself with the alt-text feature within your tool. For most Google and Microsoft products, you must right-click on an image to see the option to add alt-text.
• Check for alt-text: Run an accessibility check (e.g., via Grackle, UDOIT, Adobe Acrobat, or Sitimprove) to identify images that are missing alt-text.  
• Build the habit: Moving forward, any time you add an image to your digital content, be sure to include a brief description via alt-text.

Faculty Focus

Use the UDOIT tool to scan your Canvas courses for missing alt-text. It will allow you to check and fix descriptions in one central place.                   

Alt-Text Best Practices 
Learn How to Use UDOIT in Canvas
Upcoming Accessibility Workshops
Fundamentals of Alt Text Course

Website Wranglers

Siteimprove extensively checks for missing or improper alt-text as part of its automated testing. It flags missing descriptions by severity, helping you maintain a compliant and professional site. Review your website report for alt-text issues.

Fundamentals of Alt Text Course
Alt-Text Best Practices 
Accessibility for Web Developers Course

Did You Miss Previous Weeks or Want to Get Ahead?

You can find all of the accessibility guidance and resources provided as part of the Digital Deep Clean challenge on the Digital Accessibility webpage!

Visit the Digital Accessibility Webpage to Learn More

Access barrier? Report digital accessibility issues or request remediation of inaccessible digital content.