Ensuring Accessibility of Non-Decorative Background Images

[jeromehardaway]

Description:
Our application utilizes background images for various purposes beyond mere decoration. Some of these background images carry significant information or contribute to content understanding, thus necessitating alternative text descriptions for users who rely on screen readers or have visual impairments. To align with accessibility best practices and ensure our content is inclusive for all users, it's essential that these informative background images are properly marked up for accessibility. This involves using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to convey the presence and purpose of these images to assistive technologies.

Action Required:

• Conduct a review of the application to identify all instances where background images are used for informative purposes, rather than solely for decoration.
• For each identified background image that conveys meaningful content:
  • Add a role="img" attribute to the element containing the background image. This signals to assistive technologies that the element should be interpreted as an image.
  • Provide an alternative text description using the aria-label attribute. This description should concisely convey the content or function of the image to users who cannot see it.
• Ensure that these changes do not alter the visual presentation or layout for sighted users while making the content accessible to users relying on assistive technologies.

Additional Information:
Implementing these adjustments is crucial for creating an accessible digital environment, ensuring that all users, regardless of their abilities, have equal access to information and functionalities provided by our application. By providing alternative text for informative background images, we help users who use screen readers understand the content fully, making our application more inclusive and adhering to accessibility standards and guidelines.

This task should be treated as a priority to reinforce our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity. Making these changes will not only benefit our users with disabilities but also improve the overall user experience by ensuring our application is navigable and comprehensible for everyone.