TECHNOLOGY · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
GitHub Improves Alt Text Checker with New Plugin
WHY IT MATTERS
Improving alt text checking is crucial for website accessibility, as it enables screen reader users to understand the content of images. This plugin's development highlights the importance of balancing automated checks with human judgment and context, ensuring that accessibility tools are reliable and effective.
What happened
GitHub has released a new plugin for its Accessibility Scanner to improve alt text checking. The plugin uses a combination of deterministic rules and a vision model to evaluate the quality of alt text.
It checks for missing or vague alt text, as well as repeated alt text in adjacent images. The plugin also considers the context of the image, including nearby headings and prose, to provide more accurate results.
This improvement aims to help developers create better alt text for their images, making their websites more accessible to users with visual impairments.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Your alt text passes automated checks. That doesn’t mean it’s any good.
GitHub (company statement) · Taarik Ashenafi · Corporate primary source; facts only, no copied text or images; link and attribution required