Alternative Text & Color Contrast

Accessibility starts with thoughtful design. Two essential practices—alternative text for images and sufficient color contrast—ensure your course content is usable by all learners, including those using screen readers or with color vision differences.

Alternative Text (Alt Text)

Describes images for screen reader users
Should communicate the purpose or key message of the image
Avoid “image of…” — screen readers announce it’s an image
Use empty alt text (alt="") for decorative visuals
Limit to ~125 characters for clarity and efficiency

Color Contrast

Ensure strong contrast between text and background (e.g., dark text on a light background)
Never rely on color alone to convey meaning—use icons or labels too
Check your designs with contrast checker tools (e.g., WebAIM, WAVE)
Follow WCAG guidelines: AA minimum contrast ratio is 4.5:1

Designing for access benefits everyone. Alt text and color contrast are simple, powerful ways to support learners with diverse needs—and they make your content stronger overall.