Social Security Administration Guide: Alternate Text for Images
Color meaning embedded in alt-text
Information conveyed through color must also be conveyed textually. The information conveyed in text may be placed in the alt-text, but it should not be the only place that the text is shown. The information should be clearly visible at all times for all users of the interface. Using alt-text attributes to “pop up” information normally conveyed in color is inappropriate, because people who have color vision problems are not required to have their interface set to show alt-text on mouse-over.
![Interface controls using the alt-text to convey meaning. A dog treat ordering system with green, blue and red status indicators. On mouse over the the [sic] status is given in alt-text.](/images/13950)
It’s hiding status information in the alt-text.
![In this better version, the interface indicators have color and an a [sic] symbol to indicate status. On mouse over the the [sic] status and the association of the control are both given in the alt-text.](/images/13951)
The alt-text is redundant to the visual indicators of color and symbols.
Here it is okay to be redundant—the information needed by people who are color blind is also needed by people using screen readers.
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