ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Alternative text: describe what the image contributes
W3C's Images Tutorial describes text alternatives as communicating an image's information or function, with the wording depending on the image's purpose and context. [1]
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The question is not merely “What objects appear in the picture?” It is “What is this image doing here?” This entry explains that purpose-oriented idea without certifying the accessibility of a document or website.
Start with the surrounding message
Imagine a fictional club newsletter containing a photograph of a display table. The newsletter section is about which finished craft pieces will appear at the club exhibition. A writer considering alternative text can ask which information the photograph contributes to that section.
A different page might use the same photograph to discuss the arrangement of tables in a room. The relevant message would then be different. This example does not supply a universal description for the photograph; it shows why context belongs in the decision.
An image-purpose brief could read:
Image: The club display-table photograph
Location: Exhibition preview section
Point this image is meant to communicate: Identify the displayed pieces.
Information already in nearby text: Record it here.
Draft alternative: Write after checking the actual image and context.
Question for review: Does the wording communicate the intended point?
The brief is an original drafting aid, not W3C's decision tree. The alternative line remains empty because the fictional description does not provide an actual image to inspect.
Do not invent what the picture cannot establish
If the picture shows two people beside the table, the writer should not add identities or feelings without a basis in the supplied material. The purpose brief can distinguish a visible detail from background information known through another source.
Likewise, a filename is not evidence of what the picture communicates. A file named “final” could still need review. The writer's task in this example is to inspect the image and its use, not guess from the file label.
A family can ask about the missing message
A student preparing a slide might want a caregiver to read the proposed wording. The caregiver can ask what the picture is intended to add and compare that answer with the draft. The student may instead prefer to work with an instructor or accessibility contact.
No one needs to publish the slide or share identifiable pictures to discuss the question. Keep personal images within the sharing choices already agreed by the people involved.
One element, not a complete accessibility judgment
Alternative text for an image is a different topic from captions representing audio over time. A visible photo label may also serve a different purpose from the text alternative being discussed. This entry makes no claim that a single sentence covers a complex graphic or that adding a field guarantees access.
Use the current original guidance for the actual format and context. The newsletter example explains a decision about meaning; it does not establish legal compliance, technical implementation, or W3C approval of a page.
Source
[1] Eric Eggert; Shadi Abou-Zahra (editors). World Wide Web Consortium, Web Accessibility Initiative. Images Tutorial. Updated 2026-04-08; original publication date not shown. Accessed September 6, 2026. [1] uses only the terminology specified above; additional findings, recommendations, and source examples are not adopted.
Related guides
Sources and what they support
These sources support the specific statements identified below. Our practical exercises are suggestions to consider, not evidence of a treatment effect.
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Images Tutorial — World Wide Web Consortium, Web Accessibility Initiative
Source type: institutional.
Updated . Accessed .
Source check, September 6, 2026: Scoped source check. Passage: Full tutorial HTML read; opening 81–92, related standards 108–113, editor/update details 124–136 and rights footer 155–156. Limits: Image text-alternative purpose and context only. No legal compliance, WCAG conformance, implementation sufficiency, or automatic-accessibility claim.
Supports: W3C's Images Tutorial describes text alternatives as communicating an image's information or function, with the wording depending on the image's purpose and context.
Correction check: Inspected the current publisher title, complete relevant definition passages, surrounding context, and available date/update material on September 6, 2026. No notice changing the adopted terminology appeared in that material. This is a bounded page-level check, not a comprehensive revision-history, correction-database, or retraction-database search.
Updates and corrections
Published .
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