With any multimedia, you must provide an equal or equivalent way for individuals to perceive the content. For time-based content, the alternative should be synced with the timing of the original. E.g., closed captions that run at the same pace as the video. 

Include the following accessibility features for each of the listed media: 

• Images: Alt text for images that convey important information. If the image is purely decorative, leave the Alt Text box blank. 
• Video: Closed captions AND verbal descriptions of important on-screen actions that could otherwise only be perceived through sight. Give users playback control and disable auto-play. 
• Audio only: Closed captions or a synced transcript. Give users playback control and disable auto-play. 
• Animations/Gifs: Alt text or a caption for animations/gifs that convey important information. If decorative, leave the Alt Text box blank.

For more information about accessible multimedia, visit: 

Closed Captions

When creating your own videos, you can use a video platform to generate automatic closed captions for you. But always be sure to check and edit the automated captions before publishing! Two helpful platforms for automating closed captions are YouTube Studio and Zoom.

For more info about adding multimedia and creating closed captions, visit: 

Alternative (or, "alt") text is added to any non-text content (i.e., image or graphic) that conveys info to the user. Add alt text when 2 conditions are met:

1. The image conveys important information to the user and/or the image has a function (e.g., a link or button), AND
2. The image is not just for decoration.

If the image is just for decoration, you will not add traditional alt text, but use a "null" or "empty alt" attribute. 

Where to Add Alt Text

In a "Rich Text / HTML" box, click the "Image" icon from the formatting toolbar to open the "Image Properties" formatting box. Add alt text to the "Alternative Text" field (see Figure 3).

If the image is just decorative and doesn't provide any important info, simply leave the field blank to mark it as "null" or "empty." 

How to Write Alt Text

• Be concise. A short phrase or 2-3 sentences max
• Communicate the purpose of the image within its context of use
• Prioritize most important info up front
• Avoid:
  • Unnecessary extra info (e.g., "picture of") unless important to the context 
  • Using automatic alt text generators or relying fully on generative AI tools
  • Simply describing the image apart from its context

Example

Figure 3 above above (read back) contains the following alt text: 

The image properties box contains an image info tab. The second field is for entering alternative text. 

Complex Alt Text

If an image communicates more info than can be briefly summarized (e.g., a complicated graph or map), use complex alt text. How to write complex alt text:

1. Write the longer description of the image and place it elsewhere, such as an image caption, appendix, footnote, etc. 
2. Add alt text to the image itself that briefly identifies the image and where the long description can be found. 

For more in-depth info about alt text and complex alt text, visit: