- Success Criterion 1.1.1
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F38
Decorative Image Not Hidden From Screen Reader Users
1.1.1 — Non-text Content
Scenario
Setting
A university's online course catalog
What’s wrong
A purely decorative image is not marked as decorative, so screen readers stop on it and announce something useless.
Example
<img src="chart.png">Why it matters
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
How to test
Inspect the image's alt attribute: decorative images (borders, spacers, dividers) must have alt="" or role="presentation" — if a screen reader announces anything for it, it fails.
How to fix
Mark decorative images with empty alt (alt="") or role="presentation" (code that strips an element's meaning) so assistive technology skips them.
<img src="chart.png" alt="Q3 revenue chart showing 12% growth">The alt attribute gives assistive technology the same information the image conveys visually.
Outcome
On a university's online course catalog, this barrier is gone for blind and low-vision people using screen readers — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.
Who is affected
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Product Photo Added as a CSS Background With No Alt Text
- Chart Alt Text That Never Explains What Each Color Means
- Outdated Alt Text That No Longer Matches the Image
- Alt Text Left as a Filename Instead of a Real Description
- Decorative Image Given Alt Text Instead of Being Marked Silent
- Images Published With No Alt Attribute at All