This week Robert Hardy, our district website accessibility specialist, shares about choosing the correct field when adding alternative text to a document. Please email Robert with any accessibility tips or questions.

When adding alternative text to a document within Google Docs or Microsoft Word, users are presented with both a Title and a Description field. This can create confusion for the author as they may unsure which field to populate.

For both Google Docs and Microsoft Word, the correct field is the Description field. Screen readers rarely access the Title field, rendering it largely useless.

Remember to consider both the content and the function of the image when deciding on alternative text. What information would be missing if the image was removed? Be sure to include that in the alternative text.

For more accessibility tips for Microsoft Word, Google Docs and other software suites, visit the district’s Website Accessibility Resources page.  If you have questions or tips regarding creating accessible documents, please reach out to Robert Hardy.