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HOW-TO SESSION: MEDIA

OKLIS Virtual Session

Preparing for the ADA Compliance Deadline

Clarissa Anderson

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Today’s Agenda

  • Image description / alternative text (“alt text”)
    • When to use
    • Best practices
    • Creating and evaluating alt text
  • Live captioning and transcription
    • Examples
    • Quality
  • Accessible design for media
    • Graphic design
    • Best practices
  • Resources and tools

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Image Description / Alternative Text

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Purpose of Images in Instructional Content

Informative Images

Represent concepts and information, and have a purpose

Decorative Images

Added for aesthetics; do not add additional value

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Identifying Decorative Images

Can you understand the page if the image is covered up?

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Does surrounding text include all the same information?

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Was the image added just to look nice or to inform?

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Why Alternative Text (“alt text”)?

  • Assist users with vision impairments
  • Support for users with cognitive and learning disabilities
  • Limited internet access or slow connections
  • Compatibility with text-only browsers and assistive technology

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Alt Text Best Practices

Do not write “image of” or use file name

Describes meaning and context of informative images

No alt text for decorative images (mark decorative)

Concise: No more than 125 characters

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Example of Alt Text

  • Alt text with no detail: Two women smile for camera

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  • Alt text with no context: Two women display rings on their hands

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  • Alt text with detail and context: Two women display their new class rings during OU’s annual ring ceremony

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Effective Alt Text: Context Matters!

  • What does the image mean?
    • Supply chain issues?
    • Cleaning warehouses during the COVID-19 pandemic?
    • Just keeping inventory?

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  • Always include the purpose and context of images

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Questions When Creating Alt Text

Is this instructional?

What is the purpose/context?

What key details should I include (or not)?

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Questions When Evaluating Alt Text

How long is my alt text?

01

Is everything necessary?

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Does it meet my goals?

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Would it make sense if I could not see the image?

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Demo: Creating & Evaluating Alt Text

  • Is this instructional?
  • What is the purpose/context?
  • What key details should I include?

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Evaluating Alt Text

  • Correctly identified main subject and action
  • Missing context
  • Unnecessary details included

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  • Revised version: Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the New Deal with Frances Perkins and members of Congress.

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Note: Using AI to Enhance Alt Text

Generate Descriptive Alt Text Quickly

  • AI tools analyze image content and provide a basic description

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Human Revision Necessary

  • Only human revision can refine these descriptions to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment

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Must Ensure Accessibility Goals Met

  • Confirm the alt text expresses essential details

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Always Double Check Automatic Alt Text!�Example from PowerPoint

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Complex Images

  • Alt text is not sufficient for complex images
    • Also add a description and/or caption 
    • Add accompanying data table for graphs where possible

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Live Captioning & Transcription

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Why Captioning and Transcription?

  • Benefits the following users:
    • Have a hearing impairment
    • Have a cognitive or learning disability
    • In a very loud or very quiet environment
    • English language learners
    • Also aids in overall attention and comprehension

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Live Captioning: Zoom Meetings �(Online or Hybrid Courses)

Not a substitute for specific accommodations

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Image from DU Ed-Tech Knowledge Base (2021)

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Live Captioning: PowerPoint �(Face-to-face Courses)

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Live Captioning: Microsoft Teams

Use live captions in Microsoft Teams meetings

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Audio Only? Requires Transcript

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Audio Description

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Decision Chart

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Quality Video Captioning

  • AI-generated captions and transcripts can be a good resource
  • However, they are not ADA compliant
    • Requires human editing for accuracy
    • Must also note additional noises/sounds
  • How
    • Manual editing and/or professional captioning services
    • Your institution may have staff or funding available

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Accessible Design for Media

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Best Practices for Typeface Formatting

Bold: for general emphasis

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Underline: reserve for hyperlinks

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Italics: use sparingly

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ALL CAPS: for acronyms

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Color: keep it high-contrast

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Size: not too small; at least 12 pt font

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Note: Screen readers do not generally indicate formatting for emphasis, so emphasis must be conveyed in additional ways

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Accessibility Considerations in Video

Graphic Design

Sufficient Contrast

Color blindness and color-coding

Accessible text formatting

Video Production

Present and accurate captions (>99%)

Audio Description * as needed

Flashing or quick moving content

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Best Practices for Recording with Accessibility in Mind

  • Share associated resources and lecture slides
  • Describe what you are doing or what is on screen when annotating or screen sharing
  • Reduce background noise and keep in mind sound quality
  • Speak reasonably slowly and clearly
  • Cut longer videos into smaller chunks
  • Consider using a script or outline

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Other Resources & Tools

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Resources: Accessibility Overview

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Resources: Alternative Text

  • Overview
  • Complex Images

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Resources: Introduction to AI and Alt Text

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Resources: AI Alt Text Tools for STEM (Advanced)

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Resources: Captioning & Transcripts

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Resources: Color Contrast Analyzers

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Q&A