Features that Twitter is testing include visible “ALT” badges and exposed image descriptions to improve image accessibility on mobile and desktop.
In a statement, Twitter said it was testing the features with 3 percent of iOS, Android and web browser users.
After at least a month of testing, Twitter aims to roll out the features globally in early April.
Here’s more about ALT badges, image descriptions, and how to add descriptive text to images on Twitter.
ALT badges on Twitter images
When adding a description (also known as alt text) to an image, a rectangular “ALT” marker will appear in the bottom corner.
This signals to other users that the image is accompanied by descriptive text.
To view the image description, the user can click or tap the ALT tag and the description will open, as shown in the following example:
Twitter said:
“Adding image descriptions allows people who are blind, have low vision, use assistive technology, live in low-bandwidth areas, or have cognitive impairments to fully contribute on Twitter.
We’ve known about these features for a long time, and we appreciate your patience. We’re still working on image description reminders. We will share more information soon. “
Here’s how to add image descriptions to tweets. Soon, Twitter may start prompting users to add image descriptions, but for now it has to be done manually.
How to Add Image Descriptions on Twitter
To add an image description, follow these steps:
- upload image
- choose”add description” under the image
- write description
- choose”save“
- send a tweet
Your tweet will be sent with the “ALT” badge on the image.
The description can be from one to a thousand characters in length.
If you add multiple images to your tweet, you can add a unique description to each image.
This feature is still being tested, so you may not have access to it right now. A full rollout is expected this spring.
resource: Twitter accessibility
Featured Image: A9 STUDIO/Shutterstock
