All images have appropriate alternative text, either explaining instructional value or indicating the image is decorative. Alternative text does not contain “image of”, “picture of” or file extension (e.g., “.jpg”).

- Every image you use in your Canvas Course must have alternative text associated with it in order to be understood by users with vision impairment, including those using screen readers. A screen reader will skip over images that have no alternative text thus eliminating useful information to a reader who cannot visually decode images. Providing an effective text description depends on the image your are describing. One place to start is asking yourself “Why am I including this image on this page?” or “What do I want students to understand from this image?”
  
  Depending on how you add images into your course Pages, Discussions, Quizzes or Assignments in Canvas, you may, by default, have your image file name appearing in the alt text field. Be sure that no file extensions are included and the text is meaningful.
  
  The description should typically:
  - - Stay accurate and equivalent in presenting the content and function of the image.
    - Keep succinct. This means the correct content (if there is content) and function (if there is a function) of the image should be presented as concisely as is appropriate. Typically no more than a few words are necessary, although a short sentence or two may be appropriate at times.
    - Uniquely describe the image for a better understanding of how it fits into the context.
    - Eliminate the phrases “image of …” or “graphic of …” to describe the image. It usually apparent to the user that it is an image. And if the image is conveying content, it is typically not necessary that the user know that it is an image that is conveying the content, as opposed to text. If the fact that an image is a photograph, chart or illustration, etc. is important to note, then it may be useful to include this in alternative text.
    - If the image is merely decorative, then the null description <alt=””> is sufficient. Scientific diagrams and images may require “concise and expert” text to accurately convey the meaning, including linking to another page with a more detailed explanation. For a screen reader user, an image with no descriptive tag is equivalent to a sighted person seeing a black box.

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