Writing alternative text for graphs and images

Rob Bower from the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation spent 30 hours writing meaningful alternative text for various graphs and images within his subject 92536 Research Methods for Sport and Exercise.  

The student has vision loss, making it challenging to discern small details in images and graphs. To assist with this, they rely on the Spoken Content feature on their Mac, which reads aloud alt-text and detailed descriptions, allowing them to fully access and understand visual information. 

This subject is the only statistic subject within the Sport and Exercise Science degrees. Images and graphs are found throughout the modules, which focus on research methods, literature reviews, data analysis, etc.. Students are expected to view these before on campus lab sessions, where students may review preparatory work and/or put knowledge into practice via individual and group-based activities. 

Rob had prepared the alternative text before the student even joined the course. His proactive approach to inclusive and accessible practices meant he did not have to spend additional time on creating this during the session, ultimately benefiting both himself and the student. 

Rob created alt-text for all types of images, tailoring his descriptions to match the complexity of the visual content. For simple images, such as photographs or illustrations, he provided concise and clear alt-text that conveyed the essential details of the image in a straightforward manner. When it came to more complex visuals, such as intricate diagrams, detailed graphs, animations, and interactive elements, Rob went beyond basic alt-text. He crafted thorough text descriptions that explained the components, context, and significance of the visuals, ensuring accessibility for users who rely on screen readers or have visual impairments. By doing so, he made sure that everyone, regardless of access requirements, could fully understand and engage with the content. 

Figure 1: Why is this a good example of alternative text?

• Clear description of what the graph shows (e.g. finish times, intervals, shape of the distribution). 
• Explains the significance of the data distribution in relation to statistical testing, specifically addressing why a t-Test is not appropriate due to the skewness. 
• Provides context and clarifies concepts such as normality, skewness, and explains how the Mann-Whitney U Test can be used in analysis. 
• The text maintains a logical progression from describing the graph to discussing the implications for data analysis, which aids in understanding. 

Figure 2: Why is this a good example of alternative text?

1. Provides a concise description, focusing on necessary details 
2. Divides the description into two parts, making it clear what each animated graphic depicts 
3. Provides context about what is happening in each of the scenarios (discussing statistics vs. discussing ideas) 
4. Describes specific elements such as the “three people” and the “rotating cogs”  
5. Credits the image source in a descriptive link, which provides context for individuals who use screen readers. 

• When preparing materials, add alternative text and image descriptions from the start. This will save time for future iterations of the course.  
• Make sure your descriptions are simple and clear, providing just enough detail to explain the important parts of the image – focus on explaining why the image is being used in the course 
• Consider what the image shows that is important for students’ understanding of the material? Avoid repeating information; the alt text should add value, not duplicate content.  
• For charts, graphs, or diagrams, describe both what the visual shows and why it’s relevant to the course content.