Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has echoed Specsavers as it hit out at brands using Twitter’s ALT text accessibility function to make jokes.
Twitter’s ALT text button adds descriptions of images for blind and visually impaired users.
But brands have been posting a “click here” image with an arrow pointing to the ALT text button, which sometimes reveals a joke.
The Service’s social media team was left unimpressed. It copied an image – and accompanying ALT text description – posted by Specsavers.
The ALT text read: “The image says ‘click here’ with an arrow pointing to the ALT description tag in the bottom left corner.
“Side note for everybody: Many Twitter users, including brands, have been using this to prompt people to open the ALT text, where they have left a joke.
“ALT text is a hugely important accessibility tool designed to help people navigate the internet more easily, so it shouldn’t be used as a punchline.
“This is especially true if the ALT text doesn’t describe the image, leaving blind and visually impaired people out of the joke.”
— Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (@nottsfire) May 2, 2023
