Twitter Tests New Reminder Encourging Users to Write Image Descriptions
Twitter this week began rolling out a new image description reminder to encourage better accessibility across its platform.
"If you forget to add image descriptions, turning on the reminder will be a big favor to your future self. And to everyone on Twitter" the social network's accessibility team wrote in a Wednesday thread(Opens in a new window). "Actually, if everyone turns it on, everyone would be helping everyone."
Image descriptions(Opens in a new window), were first introduced to Twitter in 2016 and provide better context (in up to 1,000 characters) to more people, including those who are blind or classed as having low-vision. And while not required, image descriptions are appreciated by a range of users who can look for an "ALT" badge in the bottom corner of photos with alternative text.
"We want it to be easy for folks to make their tweets accessible," the company said. "Image descriptions are a simple way to expand info access to people with disabilities, and everyone who wants more context."
Don't worry if you're not already in the habit of adding text to pictures. Moving forward, Twitter will prompt people(Opens in a new window) to capture visual details like people, pets, action, movement, and other unique aspects of their images in text before posting. You can toggle off the reminder to do so in the Twitter app or online via More > Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Accessibility > Media.
Adding image descriptions to tweets is just one way to make your timeline more accessible. Twitter also suggests(Opens in a new window) writing in sentence case (instead of all upper- or lowercase), capitalizing each new word in a hashtag (#ByWritingInCamelCase), breaking up large blocks of
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