hey, question about accessibility?

is there a standard tag to use on posts with animated gifs? is it “epilepsy warning”, “tw: animated”, “tw: epilepsy”, or is it something else? I don’t tag every animated gif with a warning, but right now I tag them all with “animated”, “gif”, and “animated gif” and if they’re really flashy (for example, I’ve posted a couple gifs that have lightning flashes) I’ve put “tw: flashing lights”. does that work, or is there another standard tag to use so my blog is more accessible? let me know and I’ll go back and re-tag all my old posts with gifs as well as use the tag(s) from now on.

thetendergravityofkindness replied to your post: Re: Accessibility. Always great to see more people looking to make their blogs accessible. You should kill the section showing who you follow, it’s really annoying to wade through with a screen reader. Your theme’s navigation lacks Alt tags, an essential component of accessibility. Also (and this isn’t a deal breaker, just a thing you should be aware of) a screen reader will read your tweet in the upper left before it gets to the title of your blog. Just some advice from a guy who works in accessibility.

I’ve literally spent hours on trying to fine one. People who design them just don’t think about this stuff. =/

Guh, yeah. So I went in and edited my theme to remove the twitter and followers sections, which wasn’t hard. But then I realized the “home”, “archive”, etc. buttons were all one connected image, rather than separate ones, and while text pops up when you put the cursor over them, it won’t work with a screen reader and I can’t add alt text to each individual link destination. FEH. :/

a note on the accessibility and anti-oppression aim of my tumblog

If anyone would like something on my tumblog to be more accessible to their individual needs (if you want a description for an image/video, for example) please let me know. If you need me to re-word something because there is some sarcasm or nuance that you’re not sure you can understand, please let me know. If I post something that I didn’t realize needs a trigger warning, let me know.

Also, I try to be anti-oppression but obviously I am privileged myself in some ways. If I say/post anything that is busted in some manner — sexist, racist, ableist, etc. — please know that it’s okay to call me out on it. (Although, as we have seen, if you are a white person whining to me about reblogging something you consider to be “reverse racism” I will laugh and respond with image macros.)

Finally, I follow/reblog some people who I do not agree with 100% on every issue. I think that’s okay. But I also respect that sometimes it goes beyond just disagreeing. There can be someone (whether another blogger, or a celebrity-type person) who I sometimes agree with, but who has said or done some really awful irredeemable shit. I’m open to people pointing out this sort of thing to me.

Basically, right here I’m not trying to say, “omg do my work for me! educate me about accessibility and how not to be an oppressive douche!” I am, however, just stating for the record that I am open to accessibility requests, disagreements, and call-outs.

Fuck Yeah, Accessibility: Tips on *Writing* Image Descriptions

Fuck Yeah, Accessibility: Tips on *Writing* Image Descriptions

fuckyeahaccessibility:

The purpose on an image description is to get across the same point that the image does. The point is not—necessarily—to literally describe everything that’s happening in the image.

My main blog’s theme puts a heart before the number of notes each post gets. If the theme’s developer were to ever get around to adding in alt text for the heart images (HA! ACCESSIBLE CODING! AS IF!), it would be silly to write “a small, stylized black heart.” Instead, they would probably write “note count.” Similarly, online textbooks that use signs like the caution symbol would do well to put “caution!” as the image text.

Of course, a lot of images on tumblr aren’t “functional” as much as they are decorative. If that’s the case, then it’s generally a good idea to summarize what makes the photo so breathtaking/funny/distinct/profound, and leave out the nonessential details. It’s important to replicate the meaning of the image, not necessarily the experience of seeing the image.

The above can be especially helpful for some people with learning/processing disabilities who still want to describe their images. Sometimes, I try to write a quick description and wind up cataloging dozens of little details that aren’t really all that interesting or important. Taking a step back (some tumblr-ites recommend switching tabs so that you don’t get caught up in all the little details) and focusing on what’s really important in the image can help you write an informative, but not too taxing, description.

And if you can’t, of course, then you can’t.

(via dancingonembers-deactivated2011)