Success Criterion 1.1.1
Conformance level A
W3C reference F72

ASCII Art With No Text Description for Screen Readers

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

A music streaming app's playlist screen

What’s wrong

ASCII art (pictures drawn with characters) has no text alternative — screen readers read out streams of random punctuation.

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

Select any ASCII-art block (made of characters like /, , |, *) and check for a nearby text description or aria-hidden wrapper — absence of either fails.

How to fix

Give ASCII art a text alternative and hide the art from assistive technology.

<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 music streaming app's playlist screen, this barrier is gone for blind and low-vision people using screen readers — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.

Who is affected