A Mensagem Fotográfica do Jornalismo de Viagens: metodologia qualitativa para avaliação de Alternativas Textuais

A produção e disponibilização de recursos de acessibilidade, como textos alternativos (Alt), são aspectos necessários para tornar o jornalismo mais acessível. O objetivo deste artigo é comparar a composição de fotografias jornalísticas de viagem com seus respectivos Alt para verificar se a função e/ou conteúdo fotográficos podem ser transmitidos às pessoas com deficiência visual. Para isso, fez-se uma pesquisa exploratória em cadernos de viagem de sites de jornais brasileiros, na qual apenas o conteúdo da Folha de S. Paulo apresentou o recurso em todas as fotos. Fez-se um levantamento das características de composição de três fotos e, com base no Paradoxo Fotográfico de Barthes, comparouse a mensagem imagética com o Alt. Observa-se que os Alt usados não substituem adequadamente as fotos, comprometendo a compreensão total por parte das pessoas com deficiência visual.The photographic Message of Travel Journalism: qualitative methodology for Alternative Texts evaluationAbstractThe production and availability of accessibility resources, such as alternative texts (Alt), are necessary aspects to make journalism more accessible. This article compares the composition of travel news photographs with their respective Alt to verify whether the photographic function or content is accessible to visually impaired people. Exploratory research was carried out in travel sections of Brazilian news websites, in which only the Folha de S. Paulo presented the resource. Hence, the composition characteristics of three photographs have been assessed and based on the Barthes Photographic Paradox, there was an examination between the photos message and their Alt. As a result, the Alt used does not adequately replace the images. Such inadequacy compromises the understanding on the part of visually impaired people.Keywords: Travel Journalism; accessibility; alternative text; visual impairment.

Embodiments of bitter narratives: constructing possible Indo-Caribbean identities through the karela

This critical conversation between multidisciplinary artist Sarojini Lewis and curator Priya Swamy explores the possibilities of exhibiting and telling histories of Indian indentured labour otherwise. Focusing on the installation Why Do You Have a Face Like a Sopropo? (Worldmuseum Rotterdam, 2020), Lewis details why and how she sees a bitter, resilient and uniquely shaped vegetable like bitter gourd (‘karela’ in Hindi, ‘sopropo’ in Sranang Tongo) as an extension of memory and ancestry. The authors begin by discussing the karela as an ‘alternative text’ (Mahabir 2009), before contextualising Lewis' wider artistic practice. They then discuss in depth the installation Why Do You Have a Face Like a Sopropo?, its implications, and its methods. Finally, as a form of conclusion, both authors reflect upon what it means to have worked on this installation together, from within their distinct positionalities, and what this may imply for Indian indentured labour histories and experiences in the context of global Indian diaspora narratives.

Good Practices in E-Government Accessibility

This chapter looks to the accessibility good practices that should be adopted in the development of e-Government platforms. To this end, accessibility issues and implemented good practices in e-government services portals of the Top-4 countries in the overall e-Government Benchmark 2017 are comparatively analyzed. Despite the recognized work of those countries in the digitization of public services and the existence of relevant good practices, there are still relevant issues in accomplishment accessibility standards, particularly in the structuring of websites, the use of alternative text to images and videos, the adoption of alternatives to flash technology and the use of high contrast colors.

Reflection on Human and Automatic Image Description in Elearning Context

Images have a strong presence in educational contexts, particularly in online environments. When images add vital information for the understanding of a given subject, this information must be perceived by all students, including those who have a visual impairment. Although most web tools and platforms have a field for the description or alternative text, most images do not contain this information. Since 2016, some platforms and web services have been providing features, based on Artificial Intelligence, which present a brief description of the images to screen readers. Are these descriptions effective for people with visual impairment, in an eLearning context? Are they enough for a blind person to create a mental image? How do they differ from the description performed by humans? To answer these questions, it is necessary to have an idea of how we perceive images and how they make sense in our brain, according to our values and culture. Thus, in this work we present a reflection related to these questions, using examples of descriptions obtained by the google chrome feature “Get image description” and descriptions made by people in the various editions of the MOOC “Image description in web context”.

Examining How Students with Visual Impairments Navigate Accessible Documents

Introduction: This exploratory study examined how students with visual impairments navigate accessible Word and PDF documents. Methods: Using a combination of video observations and semi-structured interviews, data were collected on participants’ expressed and observed interactions with accessible Word and PDF documents. Results: Using a technique called summative content analysis, four core themes emerged from the findings: useful navigation elements or features (expressed and observed), strategies for navigating accessible documents, barriers to access, and coping strategies. Discussion: The findings suggest practical strategies for training participants to navigate accessible documents. Additionally, they identify the structural elements (i.e., headings, alternative text, etc.) most useful to the study’s participants when navigating accessible documents. Implications for practitioners: As suggested by the findings of this study, universities should implement targeted training initiatives for faculty on basic document accessibility, which could include clearly defining the accessibility features included in a document. Likewise, targeted assistive technology training for students with visual impairments on how to access these elements could increase reading efficiency and reduce cognitive load.

Accessibility in mind? A nationwide study of K-12 Web sites in the United States

Web site accessibility is a serious civil rights concern that has historically been difficult to measure and to establish success criteria for. By conducting automated accessibility analyses via the WAVE tool, we calculated accessibility norms of a statistically appropriate, random sample of K–12 school Web sites across the U.S. (n = 6,226) and merged results with national datasets to determine how school demographics influence accessibility. Results indicated that schools across all demographic groups generally struggle to make their Web sites fully accessible to their universe of diverse users and revealed that the concrete, highest-impact steps that schools nationwide need to take to improve accessibility include improving poor contrast between text and backgrounds, providing alternative text to images and other visual elements, and labeling form controls.

Performatividade algorítmica e experiências fotográficas: uma perspectiva não-antropocêntrica sobre as práticas comunicacionais nos ambientes digitais

Este texto possui o objetivo de descrever experiências fotográficas digitais que envolvem ações algorítmicas nos âmbitos da produção, organização e leitura de imagens, tensionando-as através de uma perspectiva não-antropocêntrica. Produzimos, inicialmente, uma análise descritiva do dispositivo Google Clips, da plataforma Apple Photos e da ferramenta Automatic Alternative Text do Facebook. Em seguida, tendo como ponto de partida estas descrições, apresentamos uma discussão sobre a construção material-discursiva da fotografia através da ação algorítmica e sensibilidade performativa. Apontamos para dois argumentos principais: as experiências fotográficas apresentadas constróem sua especificidade material-discursiva a partir de uma conectividade gerada pela performatividade algorítmica; para percebê-la, há, portanto, a necessidade de uma compreensão ampliada da comunicação, na qual artefatos participam ativamente dos processos comunicacionais.

Propuesta de Sitio Web Accesible para Personas con Discapacidad Visual

The Technical University of Manabí (UTM) (Ecuador) provides support to people with priority attention, currently has registered: 36 students, 3 teachers and 8 employees with visual impairment. The present work proposes to transform the website of the Unit for Inclusion, Social Equity and Gender (UIESG) into accessible based on accessibility standards; where the community in general and university with visual impairment enjoy in equal conditions different alternatives: configure the screen with increasing or decreasing the size of the text, activate voice, use screen reader programs that read the alternative text of the images And correctly describe the content, and change the background color in contrast to the text; contributing to the inclusive progress of this university.Keywords: Ecuador, university, visual impairment, website, accessibility.