[Ucrfacultyandstaff] Digital Deep Clean Week 7: Alt Text
UCR Provost
provost at ucr.edu
Thu Apr 2 16:20:13 PDT 2026
[image: UC Riverside logo]
The UCR Digital Deep Clean
[image: Unlabeled containers in a kitchen pantry]
Week Seven: The Kitchen
Welcome to Week 7 of the Digital Deep Clean! This week, we’re heading into
the “Kitchen." When working in the kitchen, labels are important. Is that
white powder in the container flour or sugar? Without a label, you’re left
guessing. The same is true for the images we use in our digital content.
Whether it’s an email, a PDF, a slide deck, or a webpage, every image needs
a short description. Adding alternative text (alt-text) isn't just about
describing what a picture looks like; it’s about conveying the story the
image is meant to tell.
The Weekly Guidance
Key Tips When Adding Alt-Text
Skip the "Image of": Screen readers automatically say "graphic" or "image,"
so save your character count for the description.
Be inclusive: Use neutral, descriptive language. If the person's identity
(race, gender, etc.) is relevant to the context of the story, include it;
if not, focus on the action.
End with a period: This tells the screen reader to pause slightly, making
the description sound more natural to the listener.
Identify decorative images: If an image is purely for "decor"—like a blue
line or a generic swirl—mark it as "decorative" in your tool. This tells
the screen reader to skip it so the user can focus on the important info.
Examples of Effective Alt-Text
Effective alt-text should be descriptive and provide the context of why the
image is there. Below are a few examples of how to move from non-compliant
"clutter" to compliant, high-quality descriptions:
[image: The UC Riverside Bell Tower stands tall against a blue sky,
surrounded by green trees and students using campus walkways.]
Images
Non-compliant:
-
“Bell Tower” (too vague to be meaningful)
-
“Image of the UC Riverside Bell Tower” (redundant; screen readers
already announce that it is an image)
-
“IMG_5678_Final.jpg” (file names do not convey any meaning)
Compliant:
-
“The UC Riverside Bell Tower stands tall against a blue sky, surrounded
by green trees and students using campus walkways.”
[image: A data table showing that the majority of fall 2025 UCR
undergraduates are from either Los Angeles County (25.9%) or Riverside
County (21.5%).]
Infographics
Non-compliant:
-
“Location data.” (does not convey the story of the chart)
-
“A data table showing the number of fall 2025 UCR undergraduates by home
location.” (missing data; this tells them what it is, but not what it says)
Compliant:
-
“A data table showing that the majority of fall 2025 UCR undergraduates
are from either Los Angeles County (25.9%) or Riverside County (21.5%).”
[image: Event flyer for the UCR School of Medicine’s open house featuring
the school’s Education Building 2 and an abstract blue, green, gold, and
purple background. Text reads: Save the Date! UCR School of Medicine Open
House. April 11, 2026, 10 AM to 2 PM.]
Event Promotion
Non-compliant:
-
No alt-text provided (does not provide any information)
-
“UCR Open House Medicine Health Patient Care Riverside California.”
(keyword stuffing; keep in mind that alt-text is for accessibility not
search engine optimization)
Compliant:
-
"Event flyer for the UCR School of Medicine’s open house featuring the
school’s Education Building 2 and an abstract blue, green, gold, and purple
background. Text reads: Save the Date! UCR School of Medicine Open House.
April 11, 2026, 10 AM to 2 PM.”
The Weekly Challenge
[image: A container labeled "flour" next to a container labeled "sugar" to
illustrate the kitchen analogy of accessibility via alt-text.]
Familiarize: Familiarize yourself with the alt-text feature within your
tool. For most Google and Microsoft products, you must right-click on an
image to see the option to add alt-text.
Check for alt-text: Run an accessibility check (e.g., via Grackle, UDOIT,
Adobe Acrobat, or Sitimprove) to identify images that are missing
alt-text.
Build the habit: Moving forward, any time you add an image to your digital
content, be sure to include a brief description via alt-text.
Faculty Focus
Use the UDOIT tool to scan your Canvas courses for missing alt-text. It
will allow you to check and fix descriptions in one central place.
Alt-Text Best Practices
<https://help.siteimprove.com/support/solutions/articles/80000863904-accessibility-image-alt-text-best-practices>
Learn How to Use UDOIT in Canvas <https://teaching.ucr.edu/udoit-guide>
Upcoming Accessibility Workshops
<https://teaching.ucr.edu/accessibility-workshops>
Fundamentals of Alt Text Course
<https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/customer-training-fundamentals-of-alt-text>
Website Wranglers
Fundamentals of Alt Text Course
<https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/customer-training-fundamentals-of-alt-text>
Alt-Text Best Practices
<https://help.siteimprove.com/support/solutions/articles/80000863904-accessibility-image-alt-text-best-practices>
Accessibility for Web Developers Course
<https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/path/accessibility-for-web-developers/customer-training-accessibility-for-web-developers-part-1>
Siteimprove extensively checks for missing or improper alt-text as part of
its automated testing. It flags missing descriptions by severity, helping
you maintain a compliant and professional site. Review your website report
for alt-text issues.
Did You Miss Previous Weeks or Want to Get Ahead?
You can find all of the accessibility guidance and resources provided as
part of the Digital Deep Clean challenge on the Digital Accessibility
webpage!
Visit the Digital Accessibility Webpage to Learn More
<https://accessibility.ucr.edu/digital-accessibility>
Access barrier? Report digital accessibility issues or request remediation
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=ucr_accessibility_form_login>
of inaccessible digital content.
University of California, Riverside
900 University Ave.
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-1012 | ucr.edu <https://www.ucr.edu/>
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