Why YSK: If you want to make Lemmy a more accessible place for all, you need to know how to add labels (aka: “alt text”) to embedded images

As many of you are already aware, you can embed images in comments using the following markdown: ![](https://example.com/image.jpg).

That works, but the image will be left unlabeled which leaves screenreader users out of the conversation. This may seem like a theoretical problem, but it’s not – Lemmy already has an active blind community: https://rblind.com/

So, here’s what you can do to add labels when embedding images:

![Earth viewed from the Moon](https://example.com/image.jpg)

That’s it! Any text within the [] becomes “alt text”, which is what screenreaders use for describing images. It’s a small thing, but it makes a world of difference.

Remember: Reddit took something from many of us here. For some, it was a mobile app. For others, it was the ability to operate their own communities. Comment with solidarity; use alt-text.

  • 🦥󠀠󠀠󠀠󠀠󠀠󠀠
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    61 year ago

    Is there a way to embed the actual image itself and not have to rely on a third party like Imgur?

    • @[email protected]
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      111 year ago

      You can click the little image button when commenting or posting, but it uploads it to the instance you’re on, which costs them space, so it’s probably limited in most instances

      • mintiefresh
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        41 year ago

        And then is there a way to add alt text to that uploaded image?

        • @[email protected]
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          51 year ago

          Yes, when I tried it just now it uploaded the picture and put the same text into the comment that you need to link external images ![alt text](link) it just had a link for the newly uploaded photo.