Alternative text ("alt text") is added to provide additional context and descriptions to image content for users of assistive technology, such as screen readers for users with low or no vision.

On your uConnect platform, you have the option to add alt text to images to make your platform more accessible.

After you have inserted an image on to your page, look in the sidebar under the Settings tab (gear icon). Enter a description in the "Alternative Text" textbox.

Alt text should be used any time that your image is adding additional context or information to the page.

If your image contains text, that text should be added to the alt text. However, if the text appears nearby, it can be omitted so that the same information is not announced twice.

If an image is the only element inside of a hyperlink and it's missing alt text, you’ll get flagged by any accessibility scanners and users will be missing key information.

For more information, use the W3C Alt Text Decision Tree.

If your image is decorative, you are not required to enter alt text. Your image is decorative if it does not add further context to the page. If you’re adding an image for visual appeal (like a background, pretty divider, or a stock photo that is only loosely related to the content), it’s just extra noise for screen readers. Background images also do not require alt text, as they behave in a decorative way.

An empty alt attribute indicates that the image is not important for users of assistive technology and skips to the next section of content. Omitting the alt attribute can be a problem – in some cases, the entire filename will be read instead of skipped over! When you insert images in the Block Editor, we include the alt attribute but leave it empty by default. This means that unless you specify otherwise by adding your own alt text, your image is considered decorative.

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