VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: COMPOSING MEANINGFUL ALTERNATIVE TEXT

Composing Meaningful Alternative Text.

Using graphics, such as images, when creating learning material 
with Microsoft Office can be a great way to create visual 
representations of your content. The images you use can serve many 
different purposes, from simple decorations to visuals of complex 
processes. 

An important consideration when inserting images into your content 
is how you'll make them available to someone who’s unable to see 
them. Many people with sight impairment have the ability to 
visualize an image when provided with a visual description, and in 
Microsoft Office, you can provide that visual description by 
typing a text representation of the image. 

A text representation of an image is also known as an image's 
alternative text. Microsoft Office has provided a place for you to 
replace an image with alternative text. The image will remain 
visible, but the text representation will be available to those 
who need it the most. 

When it's time to write alternative text, simply think about the 
context of the image.

For our example, consider this picture of the moon.

Questions to consider are: Am I using this image basically as 
decoration? Is the image an example of something I mentioned 
earlier in my content? Or do I intend for the graphic to provide 
more information as a supplement to my content? 

My approach to writing the alternative text for this image will 
differ depending on the context of how I use the image. 

Let's take a closer look at each of these situations. 

A decorative image, for example, this image of the moon on this 
title slide, or this cartoon of an astronaut on the moon in my 
lecture, doesn't need much. If the decorative image were removed, 
the quality of the content won't degrade, so the alternative text 
could simply be a couple of words to state what is in the image. 

To write an alternative text, right-click the image and select 
Edit Alt Text. Alternatively, you can select the image, click the 
Format Tab, and then select the Alt Text command. 

The Alt Text pane appears, and because this image is decorative, 
you might be tempted to check the box next to Mark as decorative. 
This may look like a convenient option, but unfortunately, this 
feature does not yet work properly, so we’ll type the image’s text 
representation in the text box.

For this image, I think the alternative text: astronaut standing 
on the moon’s surface while holding a hammer and feather will 
suffice. 

When a sight-impaired learner hears this alternative text, it will 
be clear that there's no important information in the image. 

Let's take a look at the images on this page. On the previous page 
in this document, the instructor has written a few paragraphs 
detailing each of the phases of the moon and how the moon looks 
during each one.

These two images are examples of the moon phases. Removing them 
would detract from the learning content, so each of their 
alternative texts will represent an overview of what’s seen in the 
images.

For the first image, I could type: 

Waning gibbous as it appears in the Northern Hemisphere 

For the second image, I could type: 

Phases of the moon from waxing crescent through waning crescent as 
they appear in the Northern Hemisphere.

Let's pause for a moment to review what we’ve learned so far.

Here’s an image of a sculpture of Galileo Galilei near a list of a 
few of his experiments. Would this be considered a decorative 
image or an example image? 

To answer that, remember to think about the context of the image. 

In this case, if I removed the image of Galileo, the content would 
not suffer. So, this is a decorative image. For its alternative 
text, I would type Galileo Galilei or perhaps sculpture of Galileo 
Galilei. 

There may be times when you'll need an image to supplement your 
content. Its purpose will be to accompany a point made in the 
content and to provide additional, important information.

Let's say that the topic of this lecture is an overview of 
telescope construction, and the instructor is using this image 
because it provides a cross-section of the refractor and reflector 
telescopes, highlighting the path light takes when it enters each 
telescope tube.

The context of this image is neither a decoration nor an example. 
In this context, it is some of the instructional content, so it 
will require a longer description so students will learn what the 
instructor intends for them to learn from it.

The long description should be a part of the lecture content, so 
all of the students can benefit from it, so I'll type it near the 
image. 

Here's another example of an image requiring a long description 
because it is learning content.

The image is a timeline showing the order in which states ratified 
the Constitution, so the instructor wrote a long description of 
the timeline as a list below the image.

We'll treat the alternative text for this image as we would an 
example image. For the timeline, I'll type: timeline showing the 
order in which states ratified the Constitution. 

For the image of the telescope cross-sections, I'll type: Cross-
section of the refractor and reflector telescopes.

For each of these images, I’ll also include a statement to let the 
student know that there’s a longer description available and where 
it can be found. Something like: Long description provided after 
image.

In PowerPoint, this statement could be: Long description provided 
in the Slide Notes.

Deciding to use images is a great way to help students visualize 
your content. Accessible images always require alternative text 
and long descriptions should be provided when the context of the 
image requires it.

Taking some time to ensure all of your images are available to all 
of your students will help provide them with a richer educational 
experience.