Patrick Garvin
@patrickmgarvin.bsky.social
Accessibility enthusiast and UX/UI front-end developer. Creator of @a11yawareness.bsky.social. Occasional MU J-school lecturer. Former Boston Globe graphics reporter/developer.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Damn... this one is rough.
November 4, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Damn... this one is rough.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Sharing Halloween pictures today? Don't forget to add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
October 31, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Sharing Halloween pictures today? Don't forget to add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Prepping for elections next week? Here are 3 last-minute things you can still do.
1. Make sure basic information is really easy to find.
2. Check headlines for possibly polarizing words.
3. CLEARLY LABEL opinion and endorsements.
For more election tips, head to trustingnews.org/trustkits/el...
1. Make sure basic information is really easy to find.
2. Check headlines for possibly polarizing words.
3. CLEARLY LABEL opinion and endorsements.
For more election tips, head to trustingnews.org/trustkits/el...
Elections - Trusting News
When covering elections, it’s crucial journalists be seen as useful and fair. This Trust Kit walks you through how you can do this.
trustingnews.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Prepping for elections next week? Here are 3 last-minute things you can still do.
1. Make sure basic information is really easy to find.
2. Check headlines for possibly polarizing words.
3. CLEARLY LABEL opinion and endorsements.
For more election tips, head to trustingnews.org/trustkits/el...
1. Make sure basic information is really easy to find.
2. Check headlines for possibly polarizing words.
3. CLEARLY LABEL opinion and endorsements.
For more election tips, head to trustingnews.org/trustkits/el...
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Back in my day, AI used to stand for Adobe Illustrator! And we hated that, too!
October 29, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Back in my day, AI used to stand for Adobe Illustrator! And we hated that, too!
Journalism hive mind, I humbly ask your help.
A professor friend says some capstone students want to do a story on the importance of accessibility in designing/redesigning stadiums, given how much money is spent. He's looking for outlets interested in such a story.
#PartyLikeAJournalist #A11y
A professor friend says some capstone students want to do a story on the importance of accessibility in designing/redesigning stadiums, given how much money is spent. He's looking for outlets interested in such a story.
#PartyLikeAJournalist #A11y
October 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Journalism hive mind, I humbly ask your help.
A professor friend says some capstone students want to do a story on the importance of accessibility in designing/redesigning stadiums, given how much money is spent. He's looking for outlets interested in such a story.
#PartyLikeAJournalist #A11y
A professor friend says some capstone students want to do a story on the importance of accessibility in designing/redesigning stadiums, given how much money is spent. He's looking for outlets interested in such a story.
#PartyLikeAJournalist #A11y
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Let's be realistic about how people are getting information. We'd love for you to join us in this mission.
I chatted with @neeldhanesha.com about what we're building at News Creator Corps: www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/a-ne...
I chatted with @neeldhanesha.com about what we're building at News Creator Corps: www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/a-ne...
A new fellowship is all about putting the news in news creator
The goal of the News Creator Corps is to "flood social platforms with accurate information."
www.niemanlab.org
October 28, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Let's be realistic about how people are getting information. We'd love for you to join us in this mission.
I chatted with @neeldhanesha.com about what we're building at News Creator Corps: www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/a-ne...
I chatted with @neeldhanesha.com about what we're building at News Creator Corps: www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/a-ne...
A lot of memes and internet terms fit into this category, particularly ones about dogs.
Intentional misspellings of words can confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Depending on how much the word is misspelled, screen readers might not pronounce it like the actual intended word.
October 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
A lot of memes and internet terms fit into this category, particularly ones about dogs.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
“Maybe it’s just that people have been saying Gulf of Mexico for 500 years and don’t easily accept change,” writes @joshuabenton.com @niemanlab.org www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
Nine months later, that body of water down south is still the “Gulf of Mexico” to news outlets
Since the start of summer, "Gulf of America" has been losing what little popularity it had in newsrooms.
www.niemanlab.org
October 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
“Maybe it’s just that people have been saying Gulf of Mexico for 500 years and don’t easily accept change,” writes @joshuabenton.com @niemanlab.org www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
For a report for Access Granted, I'm looking to speak with accessibility consultants who HAVEN'T been credited for the games they've worked on. I'm aware of this impacting future opportunities, so I can assure anonymity. Feel free to send me a message if you wish to speak about your experiences!
October 24, 2025 at 6:33 PM
For a report for Access Granted, I'm looking to speak with accessibility consultants who HAVEN'T been credited for the games they've worked on. I'm aware of this impacting future opportunities, so I can assure anonymity. Feel free to send me a message if you wish to speak about your experiences!
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
convert the ballroom into housing for unhoused people
October 22, 2025 at 9:06 PM
convert the ballroom into housing for unhoused people
If you aren't anal retentive about kerning, you'll have poor Glenneda talking anally about everyone
Local legislator displays the importance of kerning
October 22, 2025 at 9:46 PM
If you aren't anal retentive about kerning, you'll have poor Glenneda talking anally about everyone
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Today's AWS outage is causing many sites to load slower than usual. That means images might not be loading as fast as they normally do. But if you've remembered to add alt text to your images, your users will still be able to get the context and content of your images on your site.
One way sighted people can determine what to put in alt text: Imagine you sent the post or article to a friend, and the image didn't load. What would someone need to know to get the equivalent experience and context? This will help you identify the important details.
October 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Today's AWS outage is causing many sites to load slower than usual. That means images might not be loading as fast as they normally do. But if you've remembered to add alt text to your images, your users will still be able to get the context and content of your images on your site.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Alt text, or "alternative text," functions as a text alternative for images. This makes web content accessible to people who use screen readers or braille displays. Alt text also displays in cases where an image fails to load due to a slow connection or other issues, like today's AWS outage.
October 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Alt text, or "alternative text," functions as a text alternative for images. This makes web content accessible to people who use screen readers or braille displays. Alt text also displays in cases where an image fails to load due to a slow connection or other issues, like today's AWS outage.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
So excited to do this with two great people, @emiliaruzicka.bsky.social and @inclusivepixel.bsky.social. Other trainings are general accessibility trainings, but not specific to news or newsrooms. This is built around journalism, for journalism organizations, and for news outlets.
We offer journalism-centered accessibility training to orgs by bringing together accessibility experts @stacykess.bsky.social, @emiliaruzicka.bsky.social, and @inclusivepixel.bsky.social.
Learn more about this new training!
Learn more about this new training!
Press release: EAPM, trusted partners offer journalism-centered accessibility training
Equal Access Public Media joins with two accessibility experts to offer services to media outlets and organizations
equalaccesspublicmedia.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:45 PM
So excited to do this with two great people, @emiliaruzicka.bsky.social and @inclusivepixel.bsky.social. Other trainings are general accessibility trainings, but not specific to news or newsrooms. This is built around journalism, for journalism organizations, and for news outlets.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
If you were at the No Kings events, please wear a mask for the next few days.
Covid is not over.
You can infect others before you feel symptomatic.
People are losing their healthcare. They’re losing their food assistance. They’re losing housing.
We need to protect each other.
Covid is not over.
You can infect others before you feel symptomatic.
People are losing their healthcare. They’re losing their food assistance. They’re losing housing.
We need to protect each other.
October 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM
If you were at the No Kings events, please wear a mask for the next few days.
Covid is not over.
You can infect others before you feel symptomatic.
People are losing their healthcare. They’re losing their food assistance. They’re losing housing.
We need to protect each other.
Covid is not over.
You can infect others before you feel symptomatic.
People are losing their healthcare. They’re losing their food assistance. They’re losing housing.
We need to protect each other.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
If you're struggling to decide what to include or what to leave out, think about how you might describe this to someone you know.
Imagine you and a friend are driving by, and they have to keep their eyes on the road. How would you describe the image to them in a meaningful but succinct way?
Imagine you and a friend are driving by, and they have to keep their eyes on the road. How would you describe the image to them in a meaningful but succinct way?
One way sighted people can determine what to put in alt text: Imagine you sent the post or article to a friend, and the image didn't load. What would someone need to know to get the equivalent experience and context? This will help you identify the important details.
October 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM
If you're struggling to decide what to include or what to leave out, think about how you might describe this to someone you know.
Imagine you and a friend are driving by, and they have to keep their eyes on the road. How would you describe the image to them in a meaningful but succinct way?
Imagine you and a friend are driving by, and they have to keep their eyes on the road. How would you describe the image to them in a meaningful but succinct way?
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
For all of you taking or sharing pictures from #NoKings:
If you're in the position of needing to write alt text to describe an image for your feed or your publication, and you feel overwhelmed, don't worry. If you're new to writing alt text, this resource from Veronica Lewis can help you out.
If you're in the position of needing to write alt text to describe an image for your feed or your publication, and you feel overwhelmed, don't worry. If you're new to writing alt text, this resource from Veronica Lewis can help you out.
How To Write Alt Text And Image Descriptions
The ultimate guide on how to write alt text and image descriptions for the visually impaired, written by someone with low vision who uses alt text
veroniiiica.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
For all of you taking or sharing pictures from #NoKings:
If you're in the position of needing to write alt text to describe an image for your feed or your publication, and you feel overwhelmed, don't worry. If you're new to writing alt text, this resource from Veronica Lewis can help you out.
If you're in the position of needing to write alt text to describe an image for your feed or your publication, and you feel overwhelmed, don't worry. If you're new to writing alt text, this resource from Veronica Lewis can help you out.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Sharing a screenshot of text and adding commentary is common on social media. All those images need alt text, whether it's a picture from a MAGA rally, a White House press conference, a Taylor Swift album release party, or today's #NoKings protests.
Don't leave out people who use screen readers.
Don't leave out people who use screen readers.
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Sharing a screenshot of text and adding commentary is common on social media. All those images need alt text, whether it's a picture from a MAGA rally, a White House press conference, a Taylor Swift album release party, or today's #NoKings protests.
Don't leave out people who use screen readers.
Don't leave out people who use screen readers.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
The default for some social media platforms is to just use a filler alt text like "Image." The problem with that is that people using screen readers will not know what is in that image. But a lot of posts are written so that the post text makes no sense unless you know what's in the image.
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
The default for some social media platforms is to just use a filler alt text like "Image." The problem with that is that people using screen readers will not know what is in that image. But a lot of posts are written so that the post text makes no sense unless you know what's in the image.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Online, the "topic of the day" can generate several visuals: photos, memes, screen shots, etc. This is true of breaking news, but also for things like awards shows, sports championships, and big entertainment events, like a new "Star Wars" trailer or a new Taylor Swift album. These all need text.
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Online, the "topic of the day" can generate several visuals: photos, memes, screen shots, etc. This is true of breaking news, but also for things like awards shows, sports championships, and big entertainment events, like a new "Star Wars" trailer or a new Taylor Swift album. These all need text.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
A lot of big breaking news stories involve visuals, such as timelines of events, photos, memes, and screen shots. All of those images need alt text. Without alt text, screen reader users are left out.
Today, the big event that is image-heavy and all over social media is the #NoKings protests.
Today, the big event that is image-heavy and all over social media is the #NoKings protests.
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
A lot of big breaking news stories involve visuals, such as timelines of events, photos, memes, and screen shots. All of those images need alt text. Without alt text, screen reader users are left out.
Today, the big event that is image-heavy and all over social media is the #NoKings protests.
Today, the big event that is image-heavy and all over social media is the #NoKings protests.
What a time to be alive
Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets a question from former Biggest Loser trainer Cara Castronuova, a Jan. 6 defendant advocate who now works for the MyPillow Guy's network.
October 17, 2025 at 6:50 PM
What a time to be alive
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
The fact that this totally bonkers sentence is 100% true absolutely breaks my brain
Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets a question from former Biggest Loser trainer Cara Castronuova, a Jan. 6 defendant advocate who now works for the MyPillow Guy's network.
October 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The fact that this totally bonkers sentence is 100% true absolutely breaks my brain
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
As you might expect, an accessibility-driven organization like Equal Access Public Media (@equalaccesspublicmedia.org) needs funding to make all of these great things possible. The fall fund drive is going on now, and donations can help Equal Access Public Media meet its goals.
Accessibility, diversity, and inclusion are under attack. So is journalism. Support the only U.S. organization that makes its mission all about accessibility in journalism. During our fall fund drive, help us raise $1,500.
Equal Access Public Meda
Making journalism more accessible for you
equalaccesspublicmedia.org
October 16, 2025 at 10:02 PM
As you might expect, an accessibility-driven organization like Equal Access Public Media (@equalaccesspublicmedia.org) needs funding to make all of these great things possible. The fall fund drive is going on now, and donations can help Equal Access Public Media meet its goals.
Reposted by Patrick Garvin
Among the many cool things that Equal Access Public Media (@equalaccesspublicmedia.org) does is their Style and Accessibility Guide! It is a thorough and robust resource. It's free, and open to all in media — and beyond — to use.
October 16, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Among the many cool things that Equal Access Public Media (@equalaccesspublicmedia.org) does is their Style and Accessibility Guide! It is a thorough and robust resource. It's free, and open to all in media — and beyond — to use.