#Image descriptions are for the visually impaired and blind

[describe-things]

[ID: A photo of a bottle of Kraft Classic Caesar salad dressing on a table, with a kitchen knife stabbed straight through the back, leaking dressing down the blade. End ID.]

[frankiensteinsmonster]

People in this demographic, please let me know how to tag to get a hold of you as someone who doesn't need Image Descriptions!!

[front-ill]

Okay to reblog/like even if you're on my DNI. I'm putting this on my disability blog because it relates to accessibility.

Let's talk about inaccessibility in the MOGAI/LIOM/Queer/LGBTQIA+ community online. Especially if you're a coiner, flag maker, or whatever.

Do you know how privileged it is to be able to not make any, and I mean ANY, of your posts accessible because you are arrogant about people being forced out of the community because of you? Specifically people who are visually impaired in any way which are forced out of the community because you're lack of willingness to be accessible?

There are many, MANY resources available to you to make your posts accessible. You absolutely can make your posts accessible. YOU, yes YOU, can absolutely fucking make YOUR POSTS accessible. Just fucking ask. Reach out.

You can draft your posts, you can look further into communities to make your post accessible before posting, you can save spoons to make your post accessible or wait until you have spoons to make them accessible, and you can look for others to create descriptions/plain text FOR YOUR POSTS.

At this point, there is no excuse to have none of your posts be accessible. "I don't have spoons," but making flags and counting terms also requires spoons. You aren't sneaky with not wanting to be accessible and putting in the work to do so. Oh, and we shouldn't have to be fucking BEGGING and ASKING for accessibility. BEING ACCESSIBLE SHOULD BE STANDARD.

[PT: Being accessible should be standard. End]

So you know what? Start calling people out on this ableist, arrogant behavior. And you know what else? It is ableist if you do not make no attempt to be accessible. Simply because, you have no reason to not be. If your blog shows absolutely NO ATTEMPT at being accessible, YOU need to change. Doesn't matter if it, 'ruins your aesthetic,' neither.

Start being accessible, or continue to have no care whatsoever for people who require that accessibility on your posts. Show no care and sympathy for people who are forced out of the community because of you.

Tags, asked to be removed

@chronicallycouchbound @epikulupu @xdle-coxns @galaxy-starshine @potato-head-kids @blindcultureis

[frameacloud]

"Digital Accessibility," a panel hosted by Nova at Centaurus Festival 2025.

"Want to make your projects more accessible, but not sure where to start? Let us give you a jumping off point! Join us as we discuss the basics of digital accessibility."

The host works for a nonprofit which creates employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. This panel teaches how to make your web sites, social media posts, and PDFs accessible to people with visual impairments, by writing image descriptions and not using typing quirks so that they're compatible with screen reader software, and using easy to read fonts with color contrast.

[describe-things]

[ID: A photo of two fish tanks filled with water sitting up on a wooden desk outside by a large body of water. One is filled with very cloudy brown water, the other is almost clear. The cleaner one has oysters lying on the bottom of it. End ID.]

Both were filled at the same time with the same water, only one had oysters.

[zuzu-romeave]

could someone tell me the difference between putting an image description in the alt text of the image and putting it in the actual post? cuz ive seen both methods used n im wondering if theres an actual difference or if its just personal preference :3

[futurebird]

Where are the image descriptions on this site?!

How is it that Mastodon (aka the fediverse) has tumblr beat for having image descriptions? I almost NEVER see images without a description there. But here? It's an epidemic. Listen, they don't need to be long or fancy, just say what the image is! Think of it this way, if the image is a part of a joke did you say enough so people could get it? Would your post make any sense without the image included? What text would you add so that it could still make sense? (It's true that descriptions can sometimes occur in context, or using text that isn't in that particular box. But, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the sheer volume of posts that are mostly images and not a one has a word to describe them. Those posts are just useless spam to many people. ) I always thought refusing to reblog undescribed images was a little extreme. But I totally get it now. From here out? If I don't have the time to add an image description myself? I'm not going to reblog it. I'm not the only person like this. I know many people who simply won't reblog anything with undescribed images. I'm fed up! ( It will take some time for my queue to catch up. I'm slowly adding descriptions in there too. In fact, it was going through my queue and seeing how many descriptions I'd need to add that set me off. Why do I have to fix everything? Were it just one or two missing, that's fine, but it's most of them. If everyone just described their images in the first place when they posted it would be taken care of ... When you get in the habit of doing it you don't really notice the 30 seconds it takes. I didn't always know to do this, and maybe you didn't either but you can start today!)

But I post mostly art, why do I need descriptions?

Image descriptions aren't just helpful to people who are totally blind. ( And as @the-smol-machine pointed out in the comments totally blind people enjoy art. ) Descriptions help everyone who uses screen readers including many people with sight. There are different degrees (and kinds) of blindness and since many blind people enjoy art, if you describe your art this helps. Don't you want more people to enjoy your art? For example, my niece loves art, but to look at it she needs to make it much bigger and spend some time taking it in bit by bit. She only bothers if she knows what it might be and a description helps her put the image together in her mind. Descriptions also help with other disabilities that don't have anything to do with sight, but rather how people process information. Heck, I generally enjoy reading them myself just to know that I got everything the poster wanted from the image. (I'm not an expert on this topic at all. Suggestions badly wanted, but I am frustrated and annoyed that "describe the images" isn't more of a normal tumblr thing. )

[talkingattumble]

Been talking this over with someone, decided to make a poll about it.

Examples of what I mean by each option (in order):

Let’s say I’m describing a picture of a broken blue chair in front of a yellow wall. This is what each description type would look basically like:

1. A cracked, wooden chair painted with dark blue paint. It has four legs, a tall back, and the lines of the wood are still visible. It is in front of a wall painted with chipped, mustard yellow paint. In the top right corner, you can see a small part of a brown, wooden painting frame with a golden edge. The painting itself is not visible, other than a small bit of white canvas. In the bottom left corner, you can see the front of a white and red tennis shoe, brand unclear. The picture is taken from a low angle, and the chair seems to be around four feet tall.

2. A cracked, dark blue wooden chair. It’s tall and has four legs. The background is a darkish yellow. You can see some of a brown, wooden painting frame near the top of the picture, and part of a white and blue sports shoe near the bottom of the picture. The picture is taken from a low angle.

3. A cracked, blue wooden chair that’s tall and four legged. You can see the wood pattern through the paint. It’s in front of a darkish yellow wall that’s a bit chipped. It’s taken from a low angle.

4. A cracked blue chair in front of a yellow wall.

5. Broken blue chair

[describe-things]

[ID: A simple black and white drawing of two humanoid figures. One is grinning and blushing happily, wearing a shirt that says, "I love my narrative foil". The other figure's expression is shocked and enraged, and their shirt reads, "I hate my narrative foil.". Both are reading the other character's shirts. End ID.]

for you and your warped reflection

[kirkwallguy]

Why did they describe him like that 😭

[frameacloud]

"Digital Accessibility," a panel hosted by Nova at Centaurus Festival 2025.

"Want to make your projects more accessible, but not sure where to start? Let us give you a jumping off point! Join us as we discuss the basics of digital accessibility."

The host works for a nonprofit which creates employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. This panel teaches how to make your web sites, social media posts, and PDFs accessible to people with visual impairments, by writing image descriptions and not using typing quirks so that they're compatible with screen reader software, and using easy to read fonts with color contrast.

[describe-things]

[ID: A gif of the Fourth Doctor reaching out to a small calendar and pulling off the card for "July 6th", only to reveal another "July 6th" below. End ID.]

[netscapenavigator-official]

Something I've been trying to do lately is use an actual screen reader to make sure that my alt text makes sense. Sometimes when I type something out, it's so long-winded that screen readers fumble over certain syllables and whatnot. And on iOS, there's a little toggle in

Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content

that's called "Speak Selection." This basically adds an impromptu screen reader to your copy/paste menu. So, any time I write an alt text, I can highlight it and select "Speak." My phone will read my alt text to me, so I can hear it and make sure there aren't any weird parts that need to be sorted out via different grammar.

It's not much, but accessibility is an important thing, and I like do as much as I can, even if it's just a little tidying up with my image descriptions.

[carsweirdness]

Are there any people here who read through my posts that are visually impaired and want me to include image descriptions? I'm sorry if I haven't before. Even though I am visually impaired, I never really use the descriptions or my immersive reader like I should. I'm still learning how to fully advocate for myself, but I don't know how to really get it into my current mindset yet. Sorry if I'm rambling and turning this post more personal than it needs to be.

[describe-things]

[ID: An eighteen panel digital comic. Panel 1 shows a character wearing a brown hooded cloan, holding up a large, pale off-white green legg towards the camera, with the egg resting in a peice of tan fabric as thought it was just unwrapped, as the character holding it says, "One wyrm egg.". Panel 2 shows a large creature with a long, skull-like off-white face, blank white eyes, and a cloak or pelt of black fur, with tall, pointed ears or horns. The creature is looking back over their shoulder as the first character continues, "As promised.". "Ooh," says the creature, "Goodie. Took you a while…" Panel 3 shows the first character from further away, showing the shocked and angry expression on their face. The camera has pulled back enough to reveal that they have brown skin, and short dark brown hair. Their eyes are wide, with tiny thin dots for pupils. "A while? You asked for a wyrm!!" they exclaim, "Do you have any idea how d--" The creature interrupts them from the next panel, saying, "Yes, yesss," Panel 4 shows the creature now facing the first character, revealing a thin black body beneath the pelt, and a second pair of arms. They shake the upper pair of arms dismissively, saying, "Your purse will be plenty heavy, finder". Panel 5 shows the creature reaching out with two thin, clawed hands to take the egg from the proffered cloth. Panel 6 shows the creature lifting their nose and holding the egg close to their side with one hand, two other hands clasped happily, and the last arm holding out a leather bag tied shut, saying, "For your troubles". Panel 7 shows the bag landing heavily in the first character's hand with a "plunf" noise. Panel 8 shows the creature turning away from the first character, holding the egg in two hands, while the first character stares at the bag now in their hand. Panel 9 shows the first character still holding the bag and now empty cloth, staring silently after the creature. Panel 10 shows the creature standing in front of a grey-green wall with grated vents near the floor, and shelves of books, bones, and jars, placing the egg on the counter in front of them. The first character says from offscreen, "You're not the first cocksure warlock to try this, you know." Panel 11 shows the warlock having whipped their head around to stare back at the first character, repeating, "Cocksure???" incredulously. Panel 12 shows the first character looking haggard as they warn, "Wyrms aren't like normal beasts." Panel 13 shows the warlock casually reaching for a book, and taking down a large metal goblet from a higher shelf. Panel 14 shows the warlock glancing back at the first character, who continues, "Doesn't matter if you hatch that thing yourself, raise it from birth," Panel 15 shows the warlock holding the goblet, and glancing into the book, while the first character continues seriously, "Creatures like that don't obey mortals." Panel 16 zooms out to show both characters and more of the room. The ceiling is hazy dark blue, like they're inside a cave, and barrels and crates are lined up against the remains of a mostly crumbled curved wall that the warlock uses as a bookshelf. In the corner is a large skull like that from a dinosaur. The first character says, "Plenty of your kind have gotten themselves devoured for this kind of hubris.". The warlock continues to stand at their counter, holding the egg near the edge. Panel 17 zooms in on the warlock as they lift the egg above their head, a crack starting to appear at the bottom with a drop of light green coming out. "Listen man", they say. Panel 17 shows them splitting the egg entirely open, dropping a green yolk and lighter green "egg white" into the goblet as they continue, "I just want a really big omelette.". End ID.]

big egg