Make Existing Word Documents Accessible
Media and Illustrations
Word’s Accessibility Assistant notes 2 errors under Media and Illustrations: Missing alt text and Image or object not inline. Missing alt text notes images that do not have alt text or are not marked as decorative. Alt text is a text description of information presented visually. Image or object not inline flags images and objects that are set with any text wrapping other than in line with text.
Who image accessibility affects
Visual information must have a text equivalent to ensure blind and visually impaired learners have equitable access to learning material. Shapes, images, charts, SmartArt and any visual information must have a text equivalent.
The following recording demonstrates screen reader software reading three examples of alt text: one with no description, one with poorly written alt text, and one example of effectively written alt text.
How to fix it
Missing alt text
- Select Missing alt text in the Accessibility Assistant Window.
- The image will be selected in the document and the Enter image description text box appears.
- Or select the image, move to Picture Format tab and click Alt Text.
- Or right-click the image and select View Alt Text…
- Type a brief description that explains the type of graphic, the focus, and relevant details. Learn more about how to write alt text.
All informative images need alt text. Alt text can be provided in the alt text field (explained above), a figure caption, or adjacent equivalent text. Consult the Alternative Text Quick Start Guide for further guidance. However, any graphic included solely for aesthetic or decorative purposes or are accompanied by equivalent text description should be marked as decorative.
Automatically generated descriptions
By default, Word will generate alt text for images when they are added to a document. Word will mark these as Missing alt text in the Accessibility Assistant panel. When viewing the alt text for a graphic, you can select Approve, however auto-generated descriptions are generally not sufficiently accurate, informative, or descriptive and must be reviewed and (almost always) improved.
Anything (file name, random characters, or auto-generated descriptions) in the alt text field passes the Check Accessibility tool. Ensure you review all alt text for clarity and accuracy.
Image or object not inline
Objects, like images, in a Word document must be in line with text. If an image is not in line, adaptive software will not be able to announce to the user where the image is in relation to text in the document. However, decorative images are ignored by screen reader software and can be placed with any kind of text wrapping desired. For informative images, select Place object in line in the Accessibility Assistant panel.
Or select the image, move to the Picture Format tab, open the Text Wrap menu, and choose In line with text.
How to prevent it next time
Ensure your process includes adding alt text each time you add an image. Learn how to write alt text.
Learn how to best add descriptions, figure captions, or alt text in Word.
Read Alternative Text Quick Start Guide and related chapters in the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning.
Some AI tools have shown promise in accurately describing images. Using AI to describe images may be a useful starting point for writing alt text, descriptive figure captions, or text alternatives of visual information.
Next
Move to the next page to make Tables accessible or select the next error you want to fix.
