alt text for diagrams? (Full Version)

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Nicole -> alt text for diagrams? (1/8/2006 23:23:17)

I have a dilemma regarding a diagram of an eye and how to go about creating meaningful alt text to go with it.

With some other images on the site I’m creating, I’ve managed to describe the photo or diagram meaningfully so that the alt text reads in a screen reader as if it were a short paragraph or sentence, and makes sense when taking into account the text above and below the images, but in this case I’m stumped!

I’ve searched for other similar images online and have found that those pages either contain no alt text, or they simply use “Diagram of the human eye” which seems to me to be pretty unhelpful to those using screen readers.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Nicole


[image]local://upfiles/12879/8871029F3CAF412AA8CC393F18B57A34.gif[/image]



Tailslide -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 3:57:15)

This is an interesting article on the topic: http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/archives/accessibility_footnotes.html

I don't think there's a straightforward, easy answer - any full description of the eye is likely to be very longwinded.



womble -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 4:04:23)

Longdesc?



Tailslide -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 4:06:22)

Longdesc has crappy support.



Nicole -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 16:28:14)

Thanks Womble & Tail.

That's an interesting article, interesting to read the pros and cons. But reallly, how would a blind person expect to hear a description of an eye diagram I wonder?

I'm wondering now whether a site "glossary" might be in order for this and other terms used within the site for a more general overview of parts of the eye, medical terms etc, and then use the alt attribute to suggest the user reads the site glossary for more details?

Thanks again

Nicole



womble -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 16:51:34)

Hmmm, that might work.

I'm wondering though (obviously this wouldn't be relevant for other complex diagrams) whether it needs to be a particularly detailed explanation for screen readers given the subject, logic being that blind people using screen readers are likely to know what the various terms mean. Having some visual problems myself, I know the medics are pretty good at explaining the ins and outs of why things don't work as they should, so I know a lot of the terms (of course that could just be because I ask a lot of questions [:D]). Just a thought.



Nicole -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 17:00:34)

I agree, although I don't think you can really assume what people might know or should know.

I think most people know the parts of the eye, retina, lens, cornea etc, but probably don't know where they are within the eye or how they relate to one another, which is why I thought a glossary would be better than trying to explain how everything is connected.

Nicole

p.s. in the end though, if it wasn't a diagram of the eye, it could be some complicated diagram of something else, then you couldn't assume that a visually impaired person might or should know about the subject enough to get away without explaining it adequately.



womble -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/9/2006 17:06:21)

True.

quote:

(obviously this wouldn't be relevant for other complex diagrams)


[;)]



d a v e -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/10/2006 10:18:08)

there's some expansion on the longdesc thing here
http://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/Chapter06.html (search for longdesc, the seconf occurence takes you to the right place.

how about bunging what you can in the title attribute, put in a longdesc anyway AND a manual link to the longdesc (link from the eye image itself with a note in the title attr??) with a (long) description of the diagram.



Nicole -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/10/2006 14:20:08)

That's a long article....I'll read it today sometime Dave, thanks for posting it.

Not only is the dilemma how to make it work though, it's also what to actually write. I'm not an expert in biology, I'm the web desiner putting the site together. Think I'll have to get the client to double check anything I write.

Nicole



d a v e -> RE: alt text for diagrams? (1/10/2006 14:30:48)

check out a highschool biology book or simply search on the net? i mean you're not actually explaining he diagram simply saying what's in it: something like side view of eye - showing (from front to back) the eyelid, conjuctiva joining the sclera/cornea, etc . and then run it past your client just to if it makes sense.



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