Website Accessibility Essentials: Legal Requirements and Best Practices for Image Descriptions

Understanding the Legal Landscape of Web Accessibility

In today's digital-first world, web accessibility isn't just a moral imperative—it's a legal requirement. Image descriptions and alt text play a crucial role in ensuring your website complies with accessibility laws and provides equal access to all users, including those with visual impairments.

The legal framework surrounding web accessibility has evolved significantly over the past two decades. From the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to international standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), organizations must navigate a complex web of requirements to avoid legal action and create truly inclusive digital experiences.

Failure to comply with accessibility standards can result in costly lawsuits, damaged reputation, and missed business opportunities. In 2023 alone, over 4,000 digital accessibility lawsuits were filed in the United States, with many focusing specifically on inadequate image descriptions and missing alt text.

Key Legal Frameworks: ADA, Section 508, and WCAG

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA, enacted in 1990, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in places of public accommodation. While originally focused on physical spaces, courts have increasingly interpreted this to include digital spaces, particularly for businesses serving the public.

Title III of the ADA applies to businesses open to the public, including retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and service providers. Courts have ruled that websites must be accessible to people with disabilities, with image descriptions being a fundamental requirement for compliance.

Section 508 Compliance

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. This includes detailed requirements for image descriptions and alternative text that many private organizations also adopt as best practice.

Section 508 specifically mandates that images must have meaningful alternative text that conveys the purpose and content of the image. For complex images like charts or graphs, longer descriptions may be required to fully communicate the information presented.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

WCAG, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), provides the most comprehensive and widely-adopted technical standards for web accessibility. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is often considered the gold standard for accessibility compliance.

Under WCAG guidelines, all non-text content must have text alternatives that serve the equivalent purpose. This includes images, graphics, charts, and interactive elements. The guidelines provide specific criteria for creating effective alternative text that serves users relying on assistive technologies.

Legal Consequences of Non-Compliance

The legal risks of failing to provide proper image descriptions are significant and growing. High-profile cases have resulted in substantial settlements and court orders requiring comprehensive accessibility improvements.

Notable Legal Cases

• Target Corporation (2006):One of the first major web accessibility lawsuits resulted in a $6 million settlement and ongoing compliance monitoring.
• Domino's Pizza (2019):The Supreme Court declined to hear Domino's appeal, effectively upholding lower court rulings that websites must be accessible under the ADA.
• Winn-Dixie (2017):A federal judge ruled that the grocery chain's website violated the ADA, emphasizing the importance of screen reader compatibility and image descriptions.

Beyond direct legal costs, non-compliance can result in negative publicity, decreased customer trust, and lost business from the disabled community, which represents over $13 trillion in global spending power.

WCAG Success Criteria for Images

WCAG provides specific success criteria that directly impact how you should approach image descriptions. Understanding these requirements is essential for legal compliance.

Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content (Level A)

This foundational requirement states that all non-text content must have text alternatives that serve the equivalent purpose. For images, this means:

• Informational images must have alt text that conveys the same information
• Decorative images should have empty alt attributes (alt="")
• Functional images (like buttons or links) must describe their purpose
• Complex images may require both alt text and longer descriptions

Success Criterion 1.4.5: Images of Text (Level AA)

This criterion requires that if images contain text, the same information must be available in actual text format. When images of text are used, the alt text must include all text content within the image.

Best Practices for Legal Compliance

Develop a Comprehensive Alt Text Strategy

Creating legally compliant image descriptions requires a systematic approach that goes beyond basic alt text. Consider these essential practices:

• Context is King:Alt text should convey the purpose of the image within the context of the surrounding content, not just describe what's visible.
• Be Concise but Complete:Aim for descriptions under 125 characters while ensuring all essential information is conveyed.
• Avoid Redundancy:Don't start alt text with "image of" or "picture of"—screen readers already identify the element as an image.
• Include Text Content:If an image contains text, that text must be included in the alt attribute or description.

Implement Quality Assurance Processes

Legal compliance requires ongoing vigilance and systematic quality assurance. Establish processes that ensure all images receive appropriate descriptions before publication.

• Create content guidelines that specify alt text requirements
• Use automated tools to identify images missing alt text
• Conduct regular accessibility audits with assistive technology
• Train content creators on accessibility requirements

Industry-Specific Considerations

E-commerce and Retail

Online retailers face unique challenges in providing meaningful product image descriptions. Product images must include details about color, size, style, and features that would be immediately apparent to sighted users.

For example, instead of "red dress," a compliant description might read: "sleeveless red cocktail dress with V-neckline and knee-length hem, shown on model." This level of detail helps users with visual impairments make informed purchasing decisions.

Educational Institutions

Educational websites often contain complex diagrams, charts, and educational materials that require detailed alternative text. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA, educational institutions must ensure equal access to digital learning materials.

Healthcare Organizations

Healthcare websites must be particularly careful with image descriptions, as medical information needs to be accurately conveyed to all users. This includes anatomical diagrams, medical device images, and procedure illustrations.

Implementation Strategies for Compliance

Audit Your Current State

Begin your compliance journey with a comprehensive audit of your current website. Use both automated tools and manual testing with screen readers to identify gaps in your image descriptions.

• Identify all images lacking alt text
• Review existing alt text for quality and completeness
• Test with screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver
• Document findings and prioritize corrections

Leverage AI Technology Responsibly

AI-powered image description generators can significantly accelerate your compliance efforts while maintaining quality. However, AI-generated descriptions should be reviewed and refined to ensure they meet legal standards and provide meaningful context.

Our AI Image Description Generator is specifically designed to create WCAG-compliant alt text that meets legal requirements while providing comprehensive, contextual descriptions that enhance user experience.

Establish Ongoing Compliance Processes

Accessibility compliance is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment. Establish processes that ensure new content meets accessibility standards from the moment of creation.

• Integrate accessibility checks into your content management workflow
• Provide regular training for content creators and developers
• Establish clear policies and procedures for image descriptions
• Monitor compliance metrics and address issues promptly

Future of Accessibility Compliance

As technology evolves, so do accessibility requirements. The upcoming WCAG 3.0 will introduce new standards and evaluation methods, while AI and machine learning technologies continue to improve the quality and efficiency of automated accessibility solutions.

Organizations that proactively invest in accessibility compliance today will be better positioned for future requirements and will benefit from improved user experience, increased market reach, and reduced legal risk.

Remember that accessibility compliance is not just about avoiding lawsuits—it's about creating inclusive digital experiences that serve all users effectively. When done right, accessibility improvements benefit everyone, not just users with disabilities.

Taking Action: Your Next Steps

Now that you understand the legal requirements and best practices for image descriptions, it's time to take action. Start by conducting an accessibility audit of your website, focusing specifically on image alt text and descriptions.

Use our free AI Image Description Generator to quickly create compliant alt text for your images, but remember to review and refine the generated descriptions to ensure they meet your specific context and legal requirements.

Most importantly, make accessibility compliance an ongoing priority rather than a one-time project. Your users—and your legal team—will thank you for it.