Disability Pride Month has now come to a close. And y'know, I wouldn't normally mention that on this blog, but you all probably know by now that I do my best to make my blog accessible with image descriptions and plain text wherever possible (though I will admit the latter is a more recent development). Between that and a question I've gotten a couple times, I do want to mention something...
IF YOU WANT A GREATER CHANCE OF SEEING YOUR SUBMISSION TO THIS BLOG REBLOGGED IN A TIMELY FASHION AND NOT STUCK IN DRAFT LIMBO FOR MONTHS, CONSIDER ADDING AN IMAGE DESCRIPTION SO I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF.
[PT: If you want a greater chance of seeing your submission to this blog reblogged in a timely fashion and not stuck in draft limbo for months, consider adding an image description so I don't have to do it myself. / End PT]
Due to the limitations of time and having a singular physical form that does not always work as it should, it can take me a long while to properly describe the submissions I get, especially if they are comics or videos. Thus, I implore you all: please try adding your own image descriptions when submitting to this blog. They help a great deal with the accessibility of this site and allow more folks to enjoy the same posts you enjoy. Some of the folks that can benefit from image and video descriptions are blind and visually impaired folks who use screen readers that can't tell what an image is of, mentally disabled folks who cannot watch videos and need transcripts of them, D/deaf and hard of hearing folks who cannot hear the videos in question, literally anyone whose Tumblr interface is pulling a fucky-wucky and refusing to load images, and more.
If you are not sure where to start, I would like to suggest these two guides: one, two (the first comes with links to examples and the second comes with links to more resources). There is also this collection of templates for adding image descriptions to memes! If it's art, this museum has a guide for describing it. If you need assistance, this Discord server is happy to help, as well as this list of blogs. And if you'd like my advice... Ask yourself two main questions when writing image descriptions:
- How would I describe this if I were talking about it to a friend who's never seen it?
- Aside from that description, is there any information I feel would add to the understanding or experience of this image/video?
I fully understand if there are those who cannot add descriptions for whatever reason. I myself am not always able to, hence why so many submissions get stuck in the drafts for so long. But it would be a big help to me and so many others if those who are able gave it a try, even if it's only from time to time.
