Module 6: Adding Alternative Text to Images and Other Objects

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Voice Over (VO): Accessible Electronic Document Community of Practice, AED-COP.

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VO: You are watching how to make an accessible document in Microsoft Excel.

VO: This is module six, adding alternative text to images and other objects. This video is one in a series showing how to make an Excel worksheet to sanction 508 conformant.

VO: Assistive technology cannot infer meaning from images and other objects, such as pictures, images of text, images of tables, shapes, and icons with hyperlinks.

VO: Therefore, when adding images and objects into your worksheet, you must also apply alternative text or alt text to those images and objects.

VO: When trying to figure out what to write for alternative text, think about the purpose of the image and not what the image looks like.

VO: The alternative text should fully convey the meaning of the image and not focus on what the image is.

VO: If you removed the image or object from your presentation and replaced it with alternative text and no key information was lost, then chances are you provided the proper amount of descriptions in your alternative text.

VO: In Excel, images, objects, shapes, charts, and other non-text elements cannot be anchored or embedded in a cell.

VO: Screen reader users cannot access the alt text of floating elements. Therefore, you must add descriptive text to images and other objects by adding information in a cell near the object or list the non-text elements and their descriptions in a separate appendix.

VO: Examine the cells surrounding a non-text element for text describing the object or its purpose or meaning.

VO: Does the image, object, shape, chart, or other non-text element have descriptive text or is there an appendix for all non-text elements?

VO: If not, the document fails this test. This image does not include descriptive text in the surrounding cells and there is no included appendix for non-text elements.

VO: This example is not accessible. And this example, images and objects are accompanied by descriptive text in surrounding cells.

VO: This example is accessible. Thank you for watching Module 6.

VO: You are encouraged to watch the other modules in this video series and revisit modules to gain a mastery of the information provided.

VO: To learn more about Section 508, visit www.section508.gov. This video is a product of the Accessible Electronic Document Community of Practice, Chief Information Officers Council, and the Federal Aviation Administration.