Digital Accessibility: MS Word Image Text (7)

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Any images or graphics (pictures, illustrations, charts, tables, and graphs) that you place into a Word document can be made accessible by using these three elements:
  1. Position the figure "in line" with text.
  2. Add Alt Text - Alternate Text
  3. Include a caption

1. Make it In Line With Text


Images that are floating, positioned behind, or in front of text will not be picked up by screen readers. You must make the image "in line" with your text. However, you do have some control over where your image is displayed. For instance, you can use left, right, or centered justifications to move the image, or set a tab stop to push it left to right. You can also align it using columns.

2. Adding Alt Text


For images, illustrations, , follow these steps:

  • Right click on the image > format the picture, 
  • in the side panel which comes up there is a cross-shaped icon in which you can enter the alt text. 
  •  Enter the alt text in the DESCRIPTION field, not the title.

When working with Tables: 
  • Hover your mouse over the table to get the cross icon,
  • right click on it, then select "table properties" and 
  • select "alt text."
The key is what you put in for alt text. It needs to be a description of what the picture, table, or graph is. As a rule of thumb, alt text for a simple image should be limited to no more than 120 to 125 characters. Alt text for graphs, tables, and complex images (such as detailed maps and diagrams) should give a brief summary of the included information and follow with contextual description in the body text around or under the complex graphic.

If the body of the document already contains a sufficiently detailed description, the alternative text can simply identify the image so that the reader knows when it is being referred to.

3. Adding Captions in Word

While it is essential to add alt text to every image you use, it is usually just as helpful to other students in the course when you also add an image caption on the page. This gives everyone access to the important details you want to highlight, not just those using a screen reader.

  • Select the image > right click to see options
  • Choose Insert Caption from the menu
  • Type in your brief description

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