Images of Text (No Exception)
Success Criterion 1.4.9 (Level AAA)
Question
Are you avoiding the use of images of text?
Why is this important
Assistive technologies that rely on text based input to identify and convey content to users will identify images of text as a graphic. Therefore, if what visually appears to be text is actually an image of text, the text within the image will not be identified and relayed to the user.
In addition, people with visual and cognitive disabilities often rely on the ability to customize font, size, color and background. Since Images of text cannot be customized, users may not be able to read or understand the content.
Whom does it benefit?
Example 1:
As a learner who is colorblind,
I want to be able to customize the foreground and background color of any text on the screen
so that I can read and comprehend the text to the best of my ability.
Example 2:
As a person who uses text-to-speech technologies
I want everything that looks like text to actually be text, not images of text,
so that I can read everything with my text-to-speech tools.
What should you do?
-
Do not use images of text at all unless they are essential.
- Essential: If removed, would fundamentally change the information or functionality of the content, AND information and functionality cannot be achieved in another way that would conform (e.g., official and/or historical documents, displaying a certain type-face, or using a corporate logo.
How do you do it?
- Remove existing images of text and replace with text.
- When required to maintain the author’s original format of a poem, or showing quotes, use CSS and responsive design techniques to emulate the original format, rather than using an image of text.