Using best practices for creating accessible documents makes Section 508 compliance much less costly. Adding alternative text for images is the imperative, and needs to be done correctly:
By following the basic principles outlined here, web developers can make their web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities.
- Alternative text may be provided in the alt attribute or in the surrounding context of the image, but not both.
- Every image must have an alt attribute.
- Alternative text should:
- presents the CONTENT and FUNCTION of the image.
- be succinct.
- Alternative text should not:
- be redundant (be the same as adjacent or body text).
- use the phrases “image of…” or “graphic of…”.
- Appropriate alternative text depends heavily on the image’s context.
- Alt text of a functional image (e.g., an image within a link) should describe the function as well as the content.
- Decorative images still need an alt attribute, but it should be null (alt=”").
An indepth article on proper usage of the image alt tag can be found at the WebAim web site.
Find out more about Section 508 document compliance here: http://508compliantdocumentconversion.com/
