7.4: Text Equivalents

Criterion Overview

Not all learners access course materials visually or auditorily. Providing text equivalents ensures that information presented through images, audio, video, charts, graphs, or other multimedia is available to students using assistive technologies or alternative methods of access.

Text equivalents include alternative (alt) text for images, captions for videos, transcripts for audio recordings, and audio descriptions for video-only content. These alternatives allow students using screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver, as well as students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have low vision, to access the same instructional information as their peers.

The goal is not simply to describe what students see or hear, but to communicate the instructional purpose of the content. Effective text equivalents ensure that important information is available regardless of how students access course materials.

Why It Matters

Multimedia is an important part of online learning, but it should never become a barrier to accessing course content. Students who cannot see an image or hear a recording should still be able to understand the information being presented.

Providing text equivalents also benefits many other learners. Captions support students learning in noisy or quiet environments, transcripts make multimedia searchable and easier to review, and meaningful alternative text improves navigation for students using screen readers. These practices improve both accessibility and usability while supporting compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and WCAG accessibility standards.

What This Looks Like

A well-designed course typically includes:

• Meaningful alternative text for instructional images.
• Accurate captions for all instructional videos.
• Transcripts for audio recordings and podcasts.
• Audio descriptions or equivalent descriptions for video-only content when important visual information is not otherwise explained.
• Decorative images marked appropriately so they are ignored by screen readers.
• Text equivalents that communicate the instructional purpose of the multimedia rather than simply describing its appearance.

Students can access instructional information regardless of whether it is presented visually, audibly, or through multimedia.

Design Tips

Ask yourself: If a student could not see or hear this content, would they still receive the same instructional information?

✔ Add meaningful alternative text to every instructional image.

✔ Keep alternative text concise while describing the instructional purpose of the image.

✔ Caption all instructional videos and review automatic captions for accuracy.

✔ Provide transcripts for audio recordings and podcasts.

✔ Include audio descriptions or verbally describe important visual information in videos.

✔ Mark decorative images as decorative so they are ignored by screen readers.

✔ Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker to identify missing alternative text before publishing.