Alternative text (Alt text) versus image descriptions in art practice

Using a screenreader

Alt text is a textual description of a visual image online. It is predominately used by individuals using screen readers to navigate a webpage. As an artist I have always tried to make my alt text as descriptive as possible. In our digital accessibility sessions with Andy for this residency we have learnt more about the user experience (UX) for individuals using screen readers.
With this new knowledge in mind I have learnt that having very long, very detailed alt text may make navigating a web page for someone using a screen reader jarring. However, I still want someone using a screen reader to be able to experience my artwork. So one of the solutions we discussed was having brief alt text and then elsewhere a more detailed visual description accompanying the image.

Practicing Alt text and image descriptions

I have begun practising making succinct alt text and detailed image descriptions using my nerve pain/damage collage as an example.

Alt text – A digital collage representing nerve pain and damage. There is a person at the centre of the image lying in a ball and it appears as though large wires are growing from their spine.

Image descriptions – A digital collage that represents nerve pain and damage. In the foreground is a photo of a person with short blonde hair wearing black trousers and no top. They are learning forwards over their crossed legs, with their arms forwards. The shape of their spine is visible under their skin. Behind them a group of large black wires hangs and is positioned as if the wires are coming out of their spine, the wires go up to the ceiling in a triangular shape, the wall behind is grey. More black wires lie around them on a light grey floor. Parts of the foreground image have been removed and underneath is an enlarged image of tangled colourful wires.

Charlie Fitz

Charlie Fitz is a UK based sick and disabled artist, writer and medical humanities postgraduate at Birkbeck, where she is a recipient of a Wellcome Trust studentship. She is a member of Resting Up Collective and of the arts practice group TRIAD³. Her multiform projects broadly explore experiences of illness and trauma. She worked as the engagement assistant for ‘Coming Out’ (2017) was on the activist panel consulting on curatorial and learning strategies for the ACC exhibition ‘Woman, Power, Protest’ (2018) both Arts Council Collection(ACC) Exhibitions at Birmingham Museum & Art gallery (BMAG). She was a guest speaker at Robinson College Feminist Society at Cambridge University, presenting on Feminist art & activism (2019). The same year she produced her first joint exhibition ‘Radical Acts of Care’ (2019) in collaboration with Oscar Vinter. The exhibition was hosted online and in person in London and Manchester. Fitz had work in Profile Gallery’s ‘Virtual Exhibition'(2020), Oddball Gallery’s ‘Locked/Down'(2020) and ‘See You At Home'(2021) by Able Zine x Kiosk N1C. She currently has artwork in the virtual show ‘Exhibition: Work in PROGRESS’ by Triad³ and has an upcoming group show for women’s history month called HYSTERICAL in aid of UN Women UK and Mermaids Charity. She has had short fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art published.