Writing meaningul alt text is important. Just adding ‘image of __’ is not enough, the image needs to have a meaningful description of its contents. Remember that alt texts in Flash can be longer than in HTML, so we can add more details. Here are a few Alt Text guidelines that we go by:

• Keep text short, avoid re-using words and combine sentences where possible.
• Write in the present tense.
• Describe the scene, the figures and the action. Describe any image details that are of importance to the scene.
• Start an image with ‘Image of..’
• Start an animation with ‘Animation of..’
• Use foreground/ background references to describe a scene set-up.
• Do not disclose any additional information that is not apparent visually. (For example, if an image shows a painting, then describe what this painting looks like instead of giving its official title.)
• Include all text that is written in the image. (Text as art)
• Include colors if they are of importance.

To read all the tips, select ‘Flash Accessibility Tips’ on the side bar.

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