RE: Use of the fig caption element

A caption and alt text are two different things.  A caption communicates how the image is related to the text for all users while alt text provides an equivalent for those who cannot perceive the image.  Depending on the purpose of the image or other figure content and the content in text it may or may not need alternative text or a longer description.

Jonathan

From: Louise Lister <Louise.Lister@iop.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 4:18 AM
To: IG - WAI Interest Group List list <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: Use of the fig caption element

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Hello all,

I wondered what peoples’ thoughts were on use of the <figcaption> element and whether it’s a valid option in the accessible image armoury.

I was reading this article here: https://www.hassellinclusion.com/blog/figure-figcaption-extended-alternate-text-screen-readers/


Some of our images depict scientific processes or convey information that may need some text to assist understanding. The closest example to us that I can think of would be how NASA captions their images of objects in the solar system. Supplementary text is helpful for both sighted and blind to fully understand the photograph without disrupting the main page narrative.

We use a few ‘captions’ on our website but they’re not programmatically linked to the image in any way. Just some text next to the image in a smaller font.

I understand the need for the alt text and long description but does anyone else also use captions where appropriate?

Thank you!

Louise




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