Another approach to making image descriptions more visible and accessible would be to change the way apps display alt text. Currently you can see the (very small) alt text description when moving your mouse over the image.
Instead, we could make it a bigger text below the image like on some websites who already implement accessible image descriptions (example: https://www.autistichoya.com/2017/12/boycotttosiri-letter-to-judith-newman.html). It would be even possible to hide it behind a button like CW'ed toots and implement a shortcut to hide / expand them too.
In the Android apps that I tried (mainly #Tusky, subway tooter, Twidere), there is currently no way to see alt text at all? At least I couldn't figure out how.
And that's a problem, really. Because I can't even tell, if I am about to boost an image without alt text, so I actually don't boost any images on the phone.
I should look into this when I find the time, I guess. But maybe you can too?
So, the "write your image descriptions into your toot" is in part just a way around how apps are failing us here.
I still don't think of it as all bad, because I like to integrate such descriptions in how I think about tooting in the first place. It makes me and hopefully the people who read my toots more aware of the issue.
But I would prefer a technical solution at this point 👾
@Jules i wasn't really aware on how unaccessible these alt-texts are... thanks for your toots! I added alts on my own images, but was unable to see them with tusky, glad to hear they are working on that. I do hope for a technical solution on that and that the mastodon apps out there will make adding and viewing alt texts easily available.