Focus on Images and Alt Text: Digital Accessibility Remediation Sprint

Join USM's Digital Accessibility November Sprint, focusing on Images and Alt Text. Providing descriptive alternative text for images ensures that individuals using screen readers can access and understand visual content, making digital materials inclusive for users with visual impairments while also benefiting those with slow internet connections or when images fail to load.

Bring your top 5 documents that you share with others and select any that would benefit from alt text remediation. 

• For faculty, this may be your presentation slide decks with images or other course materials with images. 
• For staff, this may be a monthly report with charts and graphs, visual web content, or social media posts.

The Sprint will include a brief overview, followed by active work time to remediate your own documents. Making improvements around images will ensure that everyone, including screen reader users, can better understand the meaning of your images.

About the Sprints

The monthly Digital Accessibility Remediation Sprints are a cornerstone of the USM Digital Accessibility Initiative that is underway this academic year to help us meet the April 2026 Title II compliance date for fully accessible digital content and platforms. Each month, a Sprint will delve into one of the 6 Essential Steps for Digital Accessibility. 

What to Expect:

During this collaborative session, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Work alongside accessibility experts
• Apply practical techniques to improve your digital content
• Connect with peers facing similar accessibility challenges
• Make immediate progress on your accessibility goals

How to Register

Date: Monday, December 8, 2025

Time: 2:00-3:00 pm, ET

Location: Zoom (link will be provided after registration)

Register with USM for the Sprint

The Sprints are open to all Maryland Higher Education colleagues, including faculty, staff, administrators, and teaching/graduate assistants.

Accommodation Guidelines:

USM is committed to making events accessible to all participants. For this session:

• Live captions will be provided during the event
• A transcript will be available in real-time
• A recording of the session will be made available afterward
• Please note that requests for ASL interpretation should be made by Monday, November 24, 2025, for the November Sprint. USM will make every effort to support requests made after November 24th.

Please feel free to share this email with your colleagues and encourage them to attend.

The Sprints are organized by the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation in conjunction with the USM Digital Accessibility Work Group. Questions may be directed to cai@usmd.edu.