https://www.afb.org/digital-inclusion/accessibility-resources/writing-effective-image-descriptions

Hi, hopefully this is the right community for this. I'm modding a meme subreddit and we (mod team) are thinking about introducing a rule to make alt text mandatory when posting/commenting non-text media in said community.

We've come up with:

1. an announcement post;
2. a sidebar rule; and
3. a guideline page in our wiki (will be linked in the sidebar next to the rule).

I'd like to ask you for feedback regarding the accessibility aspect. Is this the right approach? Are the guidelines correct/even helpful? Maybe there is some insensitive wording... stuff like that.

Also, if we are hopelessly reinventing the wheel here and can simply copy this stuff from anothger community that is already a good example of best practice, then I'd appreciate it if you could point us in the right direction.

Draft for announcement post

Title: Community feedback sought on our proposed adoption of a new posting requirement:

We now require alt text to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.

We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.

When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 4 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.

If there is clear community support then we will adopt the requirement in a week or so.

Draft for sidebar rule

We require alt text to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.

We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.

When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 4 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.

Draft for guideline page in our wiki

Guidelines for writing alt text

For more details please feel free to take a look here:

• https://mashable.com/article/how-to-write-alt-text-memes-social-media
• https://veroniiiica.com/how-to-write-alt-text-for-memes/
• https://www.afb.org/digital-inclusion/accessibility-resources/writing-effective-image-descriptions

Where to write it

Media posts

• For image posts (including animated ones) this can easily be done using the alt text field provided by Lemmy.
• For videos please provide these in the post's body.

Embeds (read: in post body or comments):

When embedding media in your posts or comments (regardless of media type) you can use markdown to add a label (aka. alt text).

• unlabelled embed: ![](https://example.com/image.jpg)
• labelled embed: ![Earth viewed from the Moon](https://example.com/image.jpg)

How to write it

The following steps are there to establish a help framework/standard, but are not a hard requirement, especially since they aren't always applicable

General advice:

• Be descriptive, but concise
• Avoid extra phrases like "an image of" - the screen reader already knows the media type
• Summarize the purpose (alt text should convey the meaning or intent of the medium just as much as it describes the actual elements represented)
• Standard emoji are screen reader accessible and thus are allowed without descriptions
• Audio content must be transcribed if it does not already have a transcript or accessible subtitles

Images:

• Write the main caption first (eg. the top/bottom text)
• Describe the background if essential
• Describe subjects in a logical order (iterate the following for each subject:)
  • For subjects with a caption next to them, write the caption first
  • Explain what the subject looks like and what it is doing
• Don't be afraid to give away the punchline when it would otherwise be hard to get

Animated Images/Videos:

• WRITE A CONTENT WARNING: Be specific about what is in the content warning. In the context of flashing lights, it is recommended to use terms like "strobe lights", "flashing lights", "strobing", "seizure warning", or similar
• Use image steps where it makes sense
• Write a transcript of relevant on-screen text
• Write out all spoken audio, adding environmental sounds if they are important for understanding the video
• For videos you should provide an alt text that conveys the general context and a description where sensible. -(E.g. if your video includes dialogue that is not reflected in subtitles, you are required to provide a transcript of it in the video description.)

Greetings!

I live with man who is blind as well as on the autism spectrum and provide care/support. He has an Echo device, which he mainly uses to listen to SiriusXM. As he is on the autism spectrum as well as 81 years old, new tech is very difficult for him to learn and adjust to. Getting him to use the Echo at all has been achievement. I'm interested in optimizing the experience for him generally, but specifically I'd like to know if it's possible to set it up to search and read the internet for him, especially Wikipedia.

He has begun to dip his toe into asking Alexa informational questions. He is a country music enthusiast with decades of near perfect recall, but occasionally, I hear him ask Alexa for some piece of trivia like whether a particular artist is still living. He has also begun, once in a while, to tell me some question that he tried to ask Alexa which it was not able to help with--probably because of how he was phrasing it--and I help him by looking it up and read from the Wikipedia article to him. He's also interested in history (especially American history), Christian theology and Scripture, and current events.

Can Alexa be taught to read Wikipedia aloud? or perhaps act as a read-aloud web browser more generally? Beyond that, are there other uses for the Echo that he might take better advantage of?

For reference, he is totally blind from birth. I'm not a mental health professional, but he seems to me to suffer from decades of learned helplessness, and it's very difficult/impossible to get him to try new things or skills. The Echo is only piece of advanced tech. Given his advanced age, developmental disability, and general disposition, I don't see him learning to use a computer or smartphone himself, no matter what accessibility features were employed, but I can use my devices to interface with the Echo, and he is definitely growing in his willingness to work with Alexa.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hello, I would love some help.

My father is completely blind due to Glaucoma and he is in need of a new cell phone. His current one is 8 yrs old and slowly not working.

I looked into the Blindshell but it’s quite expensive and I am not sure if it ships to canada.

iPhones or touch screens are a no go as he does not like those. It’s hard for him to navigate.

I wondering if there are other cheaper phone options that also uses voice to makes calls and stuff. His birthday is coming up and I think this would be a really good gift.

Hi all,

I work for an individual who is blind and he usually uses applications such as JAWS and Cisco Jabber.

Sometimes I am slow to help him as I am reliant on a mouse and am not as familiar with keyboard commands- I will brush up on this.

However, I also want to be able to help him with new accessibility tools for his laptop. For example now there is an AI bot that does meeting notes for you. Is there any tools or resources you guys use that has been helpful for you to do your corporate work? I would be really grateful for suggestions as I want to be able to support him better.

Thank you!

Does anyone know of any low cost or free computer magnification feature or software like ZoomText?

I was recently diagnosed with a rare eye condition called AZOOR. One day I woke up and couldn’t see out of my peripheral vision in one eye. I went for multiple test and after a month, I was diagnosed. I had never heard of the disease prior to this. As i research it, why people get it and the outcomes are unclear. Also the treatment. Curious to see if anyone has heard of been diagnosed and what their experience has been with it

For those who live in NYC or live close enough to get into the city, please see below for this great opportunity to learn jiu-jitsu.

Adaptive Jiu-Jitsu & Self-Defense at Unity

Starting October 27, Unity Jiu-Jitsu School will be offering free adaptive jiu-jitsu and self-defense classes every Sunday from 1-2pm for students with physical disabilities, including people who are blind and visually impaired. 

While Unity’s regular classes are open to everyone, and already include students with physical disabilities, this will be a more inclusive space dedicated to offering adaptations and technique modifications that will provide specific, personalized tools for people with disabilities to learn effective jiu-jitsu and self-defense skills. 

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTP1-5VvD_WkyfS78mUOlIs19accv9wnv7GY0Y637A0JCoVg/viewform?usp=sf_link

I had the Old I.D. of course, having not been given the paper one or told the new one would arrive in the mail. I could so easily have thrown the envelope with the new I.D. out with the rest of the junk, just not knowing, and have had to repeat the tedious experience of going for it Again. It's just odd. The lady behind the counter was so busy chatting about whatever that she completely missed that this was one of those times where my disability was relevant and required that tad bit more attention to detail. I'd like to think I'd be forewarned next time and thus able to what I call babysit the situation to guard against similar errors but you never know when a thing like this might happen.

Have to add--to illustrate my point--the time I rode around with the rep from a moving company for 4 hours because he couldn't read and so couldn't use any signs and such to find my apartment. We really do go through a lot.

Hi guys i need your help to make VoiceVista app bilingual because I live in an Arabian country and just speak English. How can I make it bilingual? Speak English and Arabic.

Hello everyone,

I'm a JAWS user who has been exploring Voice Access on Windows 11 and have found it quite beneficial. Recently, I wanted to introduce this feature to my sister, who uses NVDA. However, I noticed that, unlike JAWS, NVDA doesn't echo the dictated text, which is crucial for verifying accuracy.

I'm reaching out to see if any fellow NVDA users have encountered this issue and found effective solutions or workarounds to have dictated text read aloud as it's entered. Any suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

He’s a comedian from the Uk and is blind. Here’s a link to a clip of him in the show Would I Lie to You.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1279356896200464?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Is their a way to get games like cards against humanity in braille? Every time I want to play with family I have to use my phone to read the cards which thing gets family members impatient because it takes forever for those apps to read the cards out and not only that, but for the sighted individuals, the camera is really bright

Hello everyone,

I’ve just experienced a relapse of ocular toxoplasmosis. I didn’t expect this, as it’s supposedly "pretty rare" to relapse, so I guess I’m defying the odds.

The issue is that once you’ve had one relapse, the chances of future recurrences go up. The blind spot in my right eye is just next to the center of my retina, meaning any further relapse could cause significant damage.

There’s also a possibility that it could affect my other eye, and I'd have blind spots there too.

In short: while at the moment I can see well with both eyes open, there’s a non-negligible chance that I could end up seriously visually impaired, or even blind, later in life.

I’m in a turmoil of emotions right now. I guess I’m here looking for some hope and for someone to tell me that even in the worst-case scenario, I can still have a wonderful life. I want to know that it’s okay to be visually impaired or blind, and that I don’t have to be scared.

If you have any words of comfort I'll gladly hear them.

I don't have a degree, just "some college" and I can't afford to go back to school, so retail is where I can get work. My retail job is severely cutting my hours. This brings on the job search....so many retail and grocery stores won't even look at your application without all day every day open availability.

This doesn't work for me with relying on transportation from loved ones. They have a job to get to, too.....I feel like such a burden but I need a new job to pay bills. Having a hard time finding remote work that isn't commission based, or fully remote and not requiring a degree. I feel screwed.

Edited to add I am not fully blind. I am partially blind, a hemianopsia haver. I am legally not allowed to drive in my state.

I am an amputee and use a walker to get around

A couple of days ago, I walked right off a curb on my way to get my mail and, while the only serious injury was to my pride, I recognize that my continued visual loss might warrent the use of a cane - if possible.

Does anyone here have experience using both a cane and a walker? I can't imagine how this works, as I use both hands on the walker, but I also can't be the only person with this situation.

Any advice?

I have already used many of my nine lives, and I don't want to take any chances with broken bones or other calamities.

Im new here so idk if I can get help here but I’m legally blind (stargardt’s syndrome) and when I’m studying for my exams (like now) I can’t keep my focus on the task. (I’m studying special ed so there’s a lot to read and remember). I get very quickly tired and uninterested. I don’t know how to keep myself studying and what tactics I could use to keep up. Idk if I have any attention deficit or reading problems because of my vision but I really am struggling. Especially when I look at my peers that can read for 1 hour straight without loosing focus or interest.

Good afternoon, Voted last night alone for the first time using the voting machine. Using headphones, I was able to vote by reading the raised Braille keypad and audio voice. Being from a rural area, I'm glad they provided one.

I'm looking to apply to Seeing Eye and looking at other schools on the East Coast. One part though is I'd prefer to keep working through the 3.5 weeks. I'd be able to go out for the schedule training and walks, planning my work day around these trainings. However, is it possible even then? Has anyone else done it?

I know there are a few select schools who will travel to you to train if work is an issue, but really it isn't about the location, it is just making sure I can fit around 7 hours of work throughout the day.

My husband and I are planning a trip to go to Thailand in a few months and I am so excited but not sure what to bring.

I’ve been hiking and generally do better in wooded or grassy spaces but I do miss holes sometimes if I’m not careful with my cane trying to not jab myself I tend to hold the tip above the ground and not feel drop offs. Not normally an issue with my service dog but I won’t be bringing him and I need some advice.

What kind of cane tip works for jungle/tropical hiking? I’ve been told there’s lots of mud and uneven ground. Right now I have some rolling marshmallow tips and a metal disc tip. I’m thinking of trying the free wheeling tip?

We will also be in some caves, this scares me the most because I’m still really bad at navigating stairs, going down is harder than going up them so I know I will have to take my time and go slow. I’m thinking my metal disc tip would work best here or the marshmallow?

I’m also considering getting some other things like:

Ramble band- I don’t always have to hold onto my husbands arm for navigation but if I did I was wondering if this would be worth getting?

Ray Electronic Mobility Aid- I am really good at running into things chest and head heights, lol. I am expecting if I have trouble getting hit by tree branches and bike rack mounts on the backs of cars in parking lots that I might have trouble in the hiking portions and ducking in the caves. Has anyone used this or something similar I can’t find any reviews.

A monocular- I’m not sure what to look for in a decent monocular but I’ve heard a lot of people say how helpful one can be if they have useable vision for daily life when reading street signs or traffic lights, etc.

Anything else you use daily or on trips you think might be a help I’m all ears!

If you have read this far I appreciate any advice you have, I would be happy to do an update if anyone is interested to know how accessible the trip is.

I just found an email from Netflix in my spam/junk. It was inviting me to take a survey. I found it included lots of requests for feedback on accessibility that included feedback on visual accessibility considerations. I unloaded my pet peeves on them. Most notably MORE/ALL content should include AD and the Netflix apps should work well with screen readers (for me the Netflix app on the Fire TV Cube rarely implements Voice View (the FIre TV's version of a screen reader(. Anyway, I encourage you to fill out the survey and help make our needs more front of mind for them.

I'd include the URL, but it is one of those very long URLs which I suspect includes specific identifying information that prevents people from submitting multiple replies so it likely wouldn't be of much use.

hi! my my boyfriends blind and on social security and we’re trying to figure out what to do if we have to leave the us he’s very skilled when it comes to computers and editing but has struggled with getting a job in the us what countries would be our best options i was thinking germany or canada but i dunno

If you meditate, I'd be curious to know what strategies you've taken that are different from sighted people who meditate.

Hey everyone, I know I've been posting here a lot and I hope it's OK. Just for a background I'm 21 years old and in my third year of college.  

I'm sorry if this sounds kind of all over the place I'm not exactly sure how to voice how I feel right now.

For the past couple of weeks I've noticed that I have been just working a whole lot slower. For example today at work it took me 30 minutes to do something that typically takes me 10 minutes. It's almost like I just can't think clearly, I'm not sure if it's simply due to fatigue, but also recently my cataracts have gotten worse and I've been struggling a lot more to just simply see Where I am walking.

I'm starting to feel like a failure like I don't amount to anything, As I write this post I'm literally in tears because it's actually infuriating to be the only person in the world it seems that has so much trouble simply just Crossing a street, being the only person who is working super slow at work. Being the only person who when they get home after only a four hour day they are completely exhausted.  Like I said before in my other posts all I want to do is just be seen as an equal, I wish the world wasn't designed for you to have perfect vision. Besides, college is literally draining my every motivation, especially in the last couple of months I found the work that I used to enjoy super challenging to Complete because of what I think is eye  Fatigue.

I am working 20 hours, And I'm in 12 hours of classes with one of those classes online, and the other attendance isn't required so I don't really go too often. So really that means I'm only doing 26 hours of  Daily work plus the additional time it takes to do homework(Which I honestly don't have too much homework).  

Is this what life is going to be like forever? There are some days I just want to cry, But no one around me is sympathetic about it because no one is in my position.  I'm finding it very hard to finish out this semester, and then after that I have three more semesters left. This also makes me start to think how am I going to work 40 hours a week, when right now What I'm doing Is making me so exhausted. 

Anyways, sorry if this is all over the place I just don't know how to voice my feelings right now. If you go back and look at my post history you can see that I have posted in this sub before, and that was quite a long time ago since my very first post, so I've been feeling all of this ever since then. I'm literally going crazy and I just wish I could go back to when I was a kid and I was around people who actually wanted to be around me. Back when I was a kid I didn't have to put up with the crap I have to put up with now  

So I was wondering if anyone can help me, I have been interested in tearing toys apart for a long time and I have been trying to find a mentor to help me fix toys, I am completely blind, and I have fixed a couple of toys, I am self-taught, I have took quite a few toys apart just to take parts from them, I have a whole stash of parts, motors, speakers, wires, etc. One thing I find to be challenging as a completely blind person is reconnecting wires, I have had a few toys break either trying to take parts out of them, or fixing a toy that’s broken, I do want to learn how to solder because that will help ensure a more secure connection to wires, I have been able to fix electronic kids toys with wiring issues by reconnecting disconnected wires, using electrical tape, it works, but The Toy loses some of its durability because the wires are only taped in place, instead of being soldered on, I do hope to at one day figure out how to circuit bend a toy as a blind person, but there is no information on how to do it on Google or YouTube, even if I don’t get into circuit bending, I at least think it would be cool to fix toys like anyone else, even though I have no vision, I have figured out that I can fix toys using electrical tape, but it does not always work very well, especially if there are multiple wires that need to be reconnected, but with all that aside, the main reason I am posting this is to see if anyone has encountered similar issues, because the goal of this post is to find a mentor. I do think it is difficult to teach a blind person, electronic skills, but it is not impossible.

My grandma has retinitis pigmentosa and is 100% blind. She’s never caught on to technology. We got her an Alexa several years ago and that has been one of the best things for her. She really enjoys the features of it. We have recently been trying to get something set up for her to be able to voice control her tv. Commands such as “Play XYZ news station” would be ideal. We got her an Apple TV box and she is doing a good job trying to learn how to use the remote that goes with it and is catching on pretty well. I just set her favorite apps as the top shelf content and she has been able to toggle back and forth through those with the help of voice accessibility.

I expected to be able to ask Siri via the button on the remote to “play XYZ news” and it work. However that’s not the case. Does anyone have an experience with this? Or any other ideas on how to help my grandma navigate her everyday tasks?

Hello!

My cousin who lives in another state normally uses a screen reader or an iPhone to read things online. I want to help her get into playing ttrpgs with me but all the documentation and character sheets are .PDFs and while her phone will read off the text in the .PDF it doesn't read off the stats.

So if the sheet says:

Toughness: 3

It won't read the 3. Can any visually impaired reddit role players help us out?

Thanks in advance

Hello, I’m low vision but still have no side vision, I’m missing 40% of it and I’m looking at an internship at a design company and i use a magnifier for adobe and other programs, I’ve a cane I don’t use much however I think i should for the interview because it kind of brings my vision up without me bringing it up. Thoughts?

Hi there all. Can anyone point me in the direction of an accessible (and preferably free) way of being able to track the time of reps of exercise without having to flick through voiceover wasting time.

Hi everyone, I am in need of holiday gift ideas for my father (73m) who has Macular Degeneration and is getting worse rather rapidly. He is a farmer and is always on the go working at the ranch. A lot is going to change for him pretty soon. He does not own a smart phone, we are looking into that already. We also play cards and I have already purchased large playing cards. Please help with some ideas.

In case you are interested, here is a link to an accessible election results map from Thomson Reuters. 

 
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-ELECTION/RESULTS/zjpqnemxwvx/