Alt Text Index
alttextindex.bsky.social
Alt Text Index
@alttextindex.bsky.social
A collation of resources on descriptive alt text

All posts are collated manually. I'm not a bot, just a person who thinks accessibility is important.
How to make your social media accessible

#AltTextIndex
Sometimes all you need is a little reminder. That's why we're here.

rnib.in/AccessibleSocialMediaGuide
October 13, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Video captions guide

#AltTextIndex
If you're new to captioning videos for your content, you might feel as if you don't know what you don't know. Meryl Evans' "Does Your Video Make These 6 Common Caption Mistakes?" is a great resource to help make your captions better.

meryl.net/common-capti...
6 Common Caption Mistakes: Is Your Video Guilty of Any?
Your captioned video has standard captions that are accurate and in sync with the audio. It could be making one of these six mistakes.
meryl.net
October 11, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Alt text 101

#AltTextIndex
When writing alt text for an image of text, it's not enough to just write "screen shot of text from article." Sighted users get to know what is in that screen shot, so why don't blind users deserve the same? The alt text should include all the actual text in the image.
October 11, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Alt Text 101

#AltTextIndex
First and foremost, alt text must always be informative and descriptive of the content in the image. It can have character and humor, but it still needs to be informative and descriptive. Alt text is not a place to add easter eggs or jokes for sighted users.
June 17, 2025 at 12:42 PM
How to write Alt Text

#AltTextIndex
Bluesky has made it easier to add alt text, but some still struggle with HOW to write alt text. Sighted users who don't rely on alt text might feel overwhelmed. They might have questions on what details to include, or how to get started. This post from Veronica Lewis is a great resource.
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
June 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Hashtags in Alt Text and generally

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The other reason is that many, many screen readers will just blurt out the Unicode name— and sometimes those names are long, make little sense to people not used to seeing them, or don’t mean what you think they mean.

And especially do not stick hashtags in alt text.
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
May 20, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Emoji in Alt Text

#AltTextIndex
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
May 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Adding an image of the linked site is poor practice

#AltTextIndex
Dude. If you're going to skip the alt-text, putting in a screenshot is foolish AF. This isn't Twitter; the link generates its own preview. All you do by inserting a screenshot is making the preview inaccessible and unreadable.
April 20, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Alt Text 101 from a low vision user

#AltTextIndex
I have low vision and I rely on alt text and image descriptions to provide context about images on platforms like BlueSky. If you don’t know how to write #AltText yet, I have several guides on my website that can show you how— take the #AltTextChallenge! veroniiiica.com/how-to-write... (1/10)
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
April 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Why use Alt Text?

#AltTextIndex
My view on alt-text; just include it. For four reasons:

📖 it makes those who have low vision or other challenges able to interact

📖 you can write an essay of 2000 words

📖 it’s the best writing prompt ever

📖 you can use alt4me or dictate alt text so there’s no excuse
April 11, 2025 at 12:27 PM
If you want some examples of good alt text, the Awesome Alt Text feed may help

#AltTextIndex
March 30, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Alt text basics

#AltTextIndex
1) USE ALT TEXT

2) Use it sensibly. It's to describe the picture to someone who can't see it. That doesn't mean you can't be funny or cute, but it you just use it to make a joke you're basically telling visually impaired people they matter less than your snark. Which, no.

1/2
March 30, 2025 at 6:17 AM
It's not so cute for people who use screen readers

#AltTextIndex
Reminder that all those cute fonts, emoji laden “checklists”, memes like the summoning circle, and ASCII art are hell on screenreaders (more specifically, on people who use them). Some of them don’t even let you skip posts that sound like you’re summoning Cthulhu.
March 30, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Will my alt text descriptions be used for generative AI training?

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Bluesky users debate plans around user data and AI training | TechCrunch
Social network Bluesky recently published a proposal on GitHub outlining new options it could give users to indicate whether they want their posts and
techcrunch.com
March 30, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Tools to help you copy text from images

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To copy text from images instead of retyping

iPhones and iPads support.apple.com/en-us/120004

Android www.croma.com/unboxed/how-...

Windows is less integrated www.howtogeek.com/how-to-extra...

MacOS support.apple.com/guide/photos...
March 30, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Please support this request for a feature to enable users to filter out posts without Alt Text to improve the experience of those who rely on descriptive alt text.

#AltTextIndex
March 30, 2025 at 6:02 AM
An example of good alt text

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A spill of light leads nowhere and everywhere. #photography
March 30, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Alt text 101

#AltTextIndex
Are we talking about alt text again? [A thread/primer 🧵].

If you're new to BlueSky and/or unfamiliar with the culture around image and art posts, you may also be unfamiliar with what alt text is, what it means, and how it's used around here. Although it's a very underused feature, users
March 30, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Reposted by Alt Text Index
Disability orgs use ALT text challenge
March 11, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Alt Text Index
Use alt text.
March 9, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Quick alt text tips

#AltTextIndex
Easy ways to do
ALT when posting (to help the sight-impaired):
1. To speedily describe an image-only, use the voice dictation capability of your device to fill in a description; or
1/?
March 9, 2025 at 5:29 AM