Alt Text Guidelines

Alternate ("alt") text is the principal tool for making visual content accessible. It occupies a central role in Skillsoft's strategy for meeting accessibility regulations, including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the United States and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). For more information on Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 accessibility regulations, visit:

• Section 508 standards
• WCAG 2.0

Alt text is not visible to visual users. Instead, it is read out by screen reader applications (such as JAWS) to non-visual users who have set their player preferences appropriately. See What is Web Accessibility? in the Players and Content Knowledge Base for more information on setting player preferences.

Alt text provides a concise alternative description of an image that will make sense when heard through a screen reader and bridge the gap experienced by users who can't see the image.

General guidelines for adding alt text to a course

• The alternate text for an image can be entered using the Graphic check box and Alt Text check box. For more information, see Alt Text Check Box.
• Limit the volume of information displayed to only what is most relevant to the context. Always use the clearest and simplest language possible.

  In the example below, alt text has been added to the graphic to describe a line graph used in the course.