In a world of digital-content, images are often a key part of how we communicate. For students who use screen readers, a picture isn't worth a thousand words -- unless it has effective alt text. Alt text for images isn't just about checking an accessibility box; it's about making sure everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and understand your content. By writing alt text that focuses on an image's purpose, you remove unseen barriers and make your course materials more inclusive for all. 

Whether you're teaching, designing, or sharing visuals online, here are five ways to level up your image accessibility.

1. Write for Purpose, Not Perfection

What's the point of the image? Start there. Are you introducing a concept, reinforcing a message, or providing a visual example? Don't describe every pixel -- alt text is most effective when it's tied to the image's purpose, not just its appearance. An instructor's headshot just needs to be "Professor Henry Jones, smiling" not "A photo of a smiling middle-aged man with brown hair wearing a tweed suit, standing in a room with floor-to-ceiling books."

2. Say What You See

Screen readers already announce it's an image. Instead of starting with "Photo of a student," get to the point: "Student smiles while presenting a final project to classmates." Only mention format if it matters -- for example, "A bar chart showing enrollment growth from 2018–2024."

3. Context Is Key: Platform, People, Purpose

Your description should reflect the audience and platform. While alternative text for an image on social media might be conversational and brief; the same image in a course module might need more detail. Think about what your audience already knows, and what they need you to describe.

• Social Media: An image on Instagram or myUMBC showing students protesting on campus may say, "A crowd of U-M-B-C students fills the Quad in March 1981, holding handmade protest signs to show support for keeping the university open."
• Course Module: The same image in a history course's syllabus could be "Black-and-white photo originally printed in The Baltimore Sun showing a crowd of U-M-B-C students gathered in protest on campus in March 1981. The students' serious expressions and visible determination reflect their opposition to a proposed plan to shut down the campus."

4. Not All Images Need Alt Text

If an image is purely decorative -- like a border, divider, or flourish -- mark it as decorative so screen readers skip it. In many content editors, including Blackboard and Sites@UMBC, you can select an option to mark an image as decorative, which tells screen readers to skip it. However, if the image adds meaning or helps a student understand the content, it deserves a description.

5. Try Ally or AI for a Head Start

Use your Ally course report or individual Ally meters in Blackboard to find images missing alt text. You can also try Ally's AI Alt Text Assistant or Google Gemini to generate a description -- but always review and revise for accuracy, tone, and clarity. AI is a great starting point as a first draft for descriptions. It gets you 80% of the way there, but as the subject matter expert, you're the one who will make it perfect.  

Ready to take the first step? 

• If you'd like to learn more about making images more accessible, please sign up for Accessible Images: Basics of Alt Text & Decorative Images on October 10.
• Visit UMBC’s Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. 
• Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Additional Resources

• Digital Accessibility Resources for Faculty
• Accessible Images

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Content adapted from the images workshop at the June 2025 Digital Accessibility Summer Camp (Theresa Mabe).

Two UMBC faculty were selected by the William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation to participate in the Boosting Course Accessibility mini grant program. This initiative aims to enhance the digital accessibility of courses across USM institutions and help ensure that all students have equitable access to course materials. 

Dr. Laura Rose, Associate Teaching Professor and Psychology Program Director at UMBC Shady Grove, and Dr. Ming Xie, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, will receive funding and support to redesign their courses with accessibility in mind, including implementing universal design principles that benefit all learners.

The project will identify and address barriers in course materials, learning activities, and assessments, building long-term capacity for inclusive design across their departments. The mini grant program aligns with USM's commitment to creating inclusive learning environments where all students can succeed regardless of disability status. 

Citing a strong personal interest in accessibility and a commitment to inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Rose hopes to "gain strategies for designing accessible course materials and assignments and using technology in ways that support diverse learning needs" from participating in the program. Prioritizing accessibility is "both timely and essential," she continued, particularly with upcoming requirements for all digital content to be accessible by early 2026. 

Image: Dr. Laura Rose (left) and Dr. Ming Xie (right)

"I am honored to receive this mini grant," said Dr. Xie. "The funding will allow me to advance digital accessibility initiatives that enhance student learning and foster an inclusive educational environment."

EDHS Department Chair Dr. Lauren Clay described professor Xie as "student-centered and motivated to champion accessibility at UMBC" and looks forward to learning from her participation in the mini grant as the department prioritizes accessibility across newly revised undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Working closely with Kirwan Center staff, Drs. Rose and Xie join fifteen other faculty in USM, representing diverse disciplines across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; social sciences; humanities; business; education; and health professions.

Ready to take the first step toward course accessibility? Visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Creating digital content that works for everyone isn't just a best practice—it's a responsibility. Whether building a syllabus in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, a presentation in PowerPoint, or a budget in Excel, following Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines ensures your work is clear and accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This practice enhances the learning experience for all learners (UMBC's mission of inclusive excellence).

Apply these five guidelines consistently not only to meet accessibility standards, but to improve content clarity and perception for all users.

1. Leverage Built-In Templates, Style Guides

Templates and style tools are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring consistent structure, proper reading order, and compliant color contrast.

• In Google Docs/Slides and MS Word/PowerPoint, use built‑in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) instead of manually formatting text.
• Choose official templates that already meet accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG, Section 508).
• In Excel or Google Sheets, use "Format as Table" to define headers and structure data.

Pro tip: Do not skip heading levels—this ensures that screen readers navigate content logically.

2. Simplify and Clarify Language

Plain, well‑organized language reduces cognitive load and improves comprehension.

• Organize ideas in a logical order: introduce, explain, summarize.
• Use active voice and avoid jargon or unexplained acronyms.
• In slides, focus on one idea per slide and use bullet points instead of dense paragraphs.
• Provide clear, direct instructions when assigning tasks or giving direction.

Pro tip: White space is your friend! Don't overcrowd slides or documents.

3. Explain Visuals with Meaningful Alt Text

Alt text allows people using screen readers to understand the purpose of images, charts, and graphics.

• Describe the essential information the image conveys, not just what it looks like.
• Keep it concise—1 or 2 sentences is ideal.
• Avoid phrases such as "image of" or "graphic of" as screen readers already announce the presence and type of the image.
• Mark only images which are decorative so they will be skipped by assistive technology.

Pro tip: Focus on the purpose of the image. What would someone need to understand if they cannot see it?

4. Enhance Perception with Accessible Fonts & Colors

Readability depends on font choice, text size, and color contrast—especially for users with low vision or color blindness.

• Use sans serif fonts for clarity (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Open Sans).
• Avoid all caps, italics, and unneeded underlining (except for links).
• Ensure high color contrast (e.g., dark colors on a light background).
• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning; use labels or patterns.

Pro tip: Use WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify your color choices.

5. Structure Information in Accessible Tables

Screen readers rely on table headers and logical structure to interpret data.

• Use simple tables—no merged, split, or nested cells.
• Always include a header row and designate it as such.
• Avoid blank cells-- these can confuse navigation for screen readers.
• Confirm that tables are responsive and readable on smaller screens.

Pro tip: In Excel or Google Sheets, name your worksheets clearly so users know what each tab contains.

Bonus: Use Built‑In Accessibility Checkers

Microsoft Office tools have accessibility checkers that flag issues such as missing alt text, poor contrast, or incorrect heading order. Make it a habit to run these before sharing your content.

Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Resources:

• Digital Accessibility Guidelines Checklist
• Video Recordings (UMBC Login required):
• Create Accessible Content with Google Office Tools (08.18.2025)
• Create Accessible Content with Microsoft Office Tools (08.21.2025)
• Upcoming Event: Practice & Share: Accessible Content with Microsoft Office Tools (10.07.2025)

Imagine encountering a PDF flagged in Ally for having no embedded title, missing language metadata, or being a scanned-only image. Ally’s latest update brings a trio of PDF "quick fixes" that turn what used to require Adobe Acrobat into a streamlined, in‑context workflow, making remediation smoother and more efficient than ever before.

Now, without leaving Blackboard -- or opening a separate PDF editor -- faculty can:

• Add or revise the document title via a built-in input field and click “Apply fix”
• Specify the document’s language (English, Spanish, etc.) through a dropdown menu and apply the fix right away
• Convert a scanned PDF to readable text with OCR: preview the result, optionally download the original scan, then apply the fix and let Ally overwrite the file seamlessly

These tools appear automatically in the Instructor Feedback panel.

Why It Matters to Faculty and Students

For too long, accessibility fixes meant downloading content, editing it in specialized tools, and reuploading. However, Ally’s quick fixes will help keep the workflow as tight as possible since files are overwritten in place to avoid duplication and storage bloat.

These changes don’t just boost Ally scores -- they enhance access, comprehension, and usability for all students, particularly those using assistive technologies.

Learn more about Ally

For more information about Ally, please join our upcoming session, Ally Reporting to Improve Course Accessibility, on September 30. 

Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC’s Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Need to boost your course accessibility but short on time? Blackboard’s Ally tool is built right into your course and gives you instant feedback on how to improve content for all students — including those with disabilities. Ally helps create a better learning experience for all students, not just those with disabilities. 

Here’s how to get started:

1. Look for the Colored Meters

Every file you upload in Blackboard, as well as the content you create in Blackboard, gets a small gauge icon next to it. These meters are only visible to you, the instructor, and to the Blackboard system admins. 

Image 1: Ally meters inform you about the accessibility of your content. Low (0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues. Medium (34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement. High (67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible. Perfect (100%): Perfect! Ally didn't identify any accessibility issues but further improvements may still be possible.

Click the meter next to a content item to see what’s wrong and how to fix it. 

2. Use the Ally Course Report

In the right menu of your Ultra course, go to Books & Tools > Ally Course Accessibility Report.

You’ll see:

• An overall course accessibility score
• A breakdown by content type
• A list of issues by severity
  

Start with “Easy issues to fix” or “Low scoring content” to make quick progress. Many times, these may be the same issues, or the easy issues are images that need descriptions so it can be a fast way to improve your course accessibility. 

3. Tackle the Top Three Issues

UMBC’s most common accessibility problems are:

• Images with no alt text. Fixing these issues ensures that screen reader users can understand the purpose of your visuals.
• Scanned PDFs that screen readers can’t interpret. Converting these to accessible documents allows all students to read and interact with your lecture notes and readings.
• Documents with no tags, no headings or poor contrast. Tags, headings and good contrast make it easier for students to navigate and read your materials, especially those with low vision or cognitive disabilities.
  

Fixing just these can significantly raise your accessibility score.

4. Use Ally’s Built-In Fix Guides

Clicking on an issue opens a feedback panel with:

• A preview of the content
• A plain-language explanation of the problem
• Step-by-step instructions to fix it
  

You don’t need to be a tech expert -- Ally walks you through it.

5. Tell Students About Alternative File Formats

Ally doesn’t just help instructors -- it gives students access to alternative formats like audio, tagged PDFs, and BeeLine Reader to reduce cognitive overload. These formats are auto-generated from your original files and are available through a dropdown icon next to each document. Encourage your students to explore these options based on their learning preferences, device or accessibility needs. It’s an easy win to support more flexible, inclusive learning.

Open your course today, check the meters, and fix one thing. Just one small change can make a big difference.

Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC’s Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

myUMBC Poll: Which Ally strategy will you try first?