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a. Include short AL T Tags for logos and
graphics that that are not critical to the information content of the
page.
AL T Tags should be short and simple (less than 5 words)
as browsers sometimes have difficulty with long, run-on AL T Tags. The
alternative text helps the visitor understand what is on the page if they are
using a text browser, or if they have image loading turned off in their
graphical browser.
The bolded section below shows what an AL T tag looks like HTML:
IMG SRC="./doitlogo.large.gif' ALIGN=MIDDLE AL T="[DO-IT LOGO]">
When a sighted visitor views the page, they will see the DO-IT logo. When a
user who is blind visits, his voice output program will read "DO-IT logo" to
him. This gives him a clearer idea of what is on the page. In addition, any
visitor coming to the site using a text-based browser will understand that
there is a logo there instead of the more ambiguous "image" read from the HTML
coding referring to images without AL T tags.
b. Include AL T tags for image maps (also
called ISMAPS) to ensure that the embedded links are accessible.
An image map is a picture in which parts of the picture can be clicked on
to find a link to another page. For example, on a map of the United States, a
visitor might click on Washington State to find information about our state.
But if the programmer has not included an AL T tag with alternative text,
visitors using text-based browsers can be totally blocked from the site, or
sent on a wild goose chase clicking unlabelled links that lead them in circles.
The following HTML coding does not include an AL T tag for the
image map.
<HTML>
< TITLE>Our Library
Page</TITLE>
< BODY>
< A
HREF="/cgi-bin/htimage/home.map">
< IMG SRC="images/home.jpg" ismap
/A>
< /BODY>
< /HTML >
When viewed through a graphical browser, such as Netscape, a
beautiful picture of a floor map of a library appears in which the visitor can
choose selected areas of the library. But when a visitor using a text-based
browser visits the site, this is what they see:
Our Library Page
[ISMAP]
At this point the visitor is stuck as most browsers will not
interpret the hypertext links embedded in the image map. Your visitors only
option is to back out of the site. A visitor who is blind, or that has older
technology with a text-based browser cant get to your information. |