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Did you know?

You can now add alt text to every photo and GIF you upload to a post with your Tumblr iOS or Android app. This feature isn’t yet available on the web broswer version of Tumblr.

How this helps disabled people

People with vision impairments such as low vision and blindness may use screen readers in order to access the internet, or just have trouble distinguishing images. That’s why you’re encouraged to write a short description of your image in your submission. Then a screen reader program can read the plaintext of a post out loud for them, or it can translated into braille on a refreshable braille display.

How do you add ALT text to your image?

Easy-peasy. When you add an image or GIF to a post or reblog on Tumblr in the iOS or Android app, you’ll see a meatballs menu (●●●) pop up in the lower right-hand corner of your image or GIF. Tap it, then select “Add alt text.”

If you’re not on mobile, you can’t add ALT text but you can include an image description in the body of the post.

What’s the difference between ALT text and an image description?

Alt text tells people what is in an image, such as text or basic essential details. If an image fails to load, alt text will display in its place. Search engines also index alt text information and consider it a factor when determining search engine ratings.

What is an image description?

An image description gives more details than alt text and allows someone to learn more about what is in an image that goes beyond alt text. Alt text gives the user the most important information while image descriptions provide further detail. For example, alt text tells someone that there’s a puddle on the floor, and image description tells someone that the puddle on the floor is in the middle of the floor and it’s orange juice.

Features of image to describe

When composing image descriptions, it may seem difficult to decide what to include. Here are features that can be included in image descriptions- write about these when applicable:

Placement of objects in image

Image style (painting, graph)

Colors

Names of people

Clothes (if they are an important detail)

Animals

Placement of text

Emotions, such as smiling

Surroundings

What not to describe

Likewise, there are some things that should be left out of image descriptions. These include:

Descriptions of colors- no need to describe what red looks like

Obvious details such as someone having two eyes, a nose, and a mouth

Details that are not the focus of the picture

Overly poetic or detailed descriptions

Emoji

Multiple punctuation marks

Length of text

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but there’s no reason to write them all out and leave the user waiting for the descriptions to end. It is strongly recommended that alt text be 125 characters or less to ensure compatibility for popular screen readers. Image descriptions can be longer, but I recommend keeping them the length of a tweet, or about 280 characters.

So now what?

Now that you know what it is, please use image descriptions and ALT text to make your posts more accessible! Yes, this even applies to selfies- if there’s no description at all, Blind people won’t even know that your post is a selfie!

It also means wearing things they might not approve of. Using accommodations that they might not think you need. Not falling for their guilt trips. Eating when you’re hungry, not when it suits them and their idea of your weight or health. Making your own friends instead of seeking the stamp of approval from them.

Of course, some parents are stricter than others, and some use abuse to keep you from expressing yourself. But do what you can, even if it seems small.

Otherwise, when your parents are no longer in the picture, you’ll try to find it somewhere else to get validation. A strict boss, an abusive partner, a selfish friend.

Richard Oswald’s Different from the Others was a radical silent film produced in 1919 during the Weimar Republic. And it was almost erased from history. 

rest when you’re tired.

it’s okay if you forgot

Mahmoud (@ma7moudgaza2) has been campaigning to support both his family and his education in Gaza for a year and a half. His family has been displaced countless times, and he has been fundraising nonstop for over a year to help support them.

Mahmoud is also a student. He has struggled to fund his education during the genocide, doing his best to secure what is a basic right under unthinkable conditions.

Currently, he has a short-term goal of $35.5k. The great news is that he is at $35,490 right now! I was able to donate $15 to Mahmoud's campaign, but he still has $10 left to reach his goal. If you're able, please match my donation! It doesn't have to be the full 15, it can be less or more, whatever you're able to give. Here's the link to his GFM:

If you can't donate to Mahmoud, please reblog his posts so others will see his fundraiser. Send his link to people you know outside of tumblr as well--friends, family, anyone who you think can help. Let's do our best Mahmoud to his goal as quickly as possible!

Is the end of the war a reason for this?

Yes, the war has stopped, but what we lost in these two years can't be replaced by 10 years of work!

We lost our home, our job, my engineering office, and we even tried to establish a support organization, but it was destroyed too!

$115/760

$645 left

I have heard back from Ahmed about his father's surgery. It has now been postponed to July 13th, giving us 5 more days to raise the remaining $645 to cover the costs of the operation and medicine.

Donations have been incredibly slow. No donations were made on chuffed until about two days before the first deadline we had. Since then, donations have stopped again.

I understand not everyone is able to donate, but I ask that if you have the means, please give what you can. Please do not assume or hope someone will donate instead of you.

If you can't donate, sharing is greatly appreciated. Most of the reblogs on the posts I make for Ahmed are me queuing them to be shared while I am offline. My reach is limited, so I would appreciate anyone who can reblog or even make their own post.

Vetting information can be found here. The doctor's notes about the surgery can be found below the cut. Ahmed sent them to me to share, so I am including them to help with validity as well

Ask yourself, how does this piece make you feel? (No wrong answers)

Look for an artist statement nearby. What does it say about the artist and their relationship to their work? What does the artist say that they are trying to convey with their art? What contextual clues can you pick up from what they say about their background, or what they omit?

Look at the title of the piece. What is the artist saying about their work by naming it that, either explicitly or implicitly?

Look at the medium. Is there anything about the piece that stands out to you, knowing what it's made of?

Look at the year it was made. What cultural events might have been happening around this time? Was this piece part of a particular art movement? What was the purpose of that art movement, and what was it trying to say?

With a heavy heart, I come to you all with the news announced by close friends of Cat Frazier that she had passed away on Monday, June 29.

She had been running @animatedtext since 2012, with her impact on the internet SHAPING tumblr. If you have a years long history on this site, you’ve seen her art.

She ran a venue in Oakland called Oakland Secret, a punk venue where I’d vend at regularly as an artist. She made a safe space for queer artists, artists of color, and local furs too. I am forever grateful for her work both in the Bay Area creative scene and online, and am forever changed by the totality of her impact.

I’ll be linking some articles from the 2010’s about her impact online: The Fader | Action | Jezebel | ObviouslySocial

I invite you to take a visit through her archive, and if you have a long history with this site like I do, it’s like walking down memory lane. (open link in browser)

free/pay what you want printable pdf!

i am once again making a silly little zine abt covid safety but this time it is very unserious and not educational at all so if ur new here and dont know what the Heck i am on about. here's a place to start!

id:

slide 1:

a photo of the front cover of a black & white printed zine held up in front of a quilt in the background. top text of the zine cover reads: "reasons I love wearing my mask in public" with bottom text in parentheses: "besides the on-fire garbage can that is public health these days." a cartoon drawing of Maria, a pale genderfluid person with a buzzcut and glasses, is winking and doing a peace sign. she is wearing a boat-style mask with a star mask chain and crayon earrings.

slide 2:

top text: "1: I haven't had a man tell me to smile in 6 years." Below is a drawing of Maria walking down the sidewalk wearing a black mask, a cat cropped t-shirt, patched jeans, & star earrings. They are carrying a Mitski tote bag and look unbothered with their eyes closed as a man who looks a lot like the distracted boyfriend meme holds up a finger as if he was about to speak, but just looks confused as his speech bubble reads "..." Bottom text: "I simply cannot go back."

slide 3:

Top text: "2: I don't have to make facial expressions." Below Maria is waving and wearing a polo shirt, blank face emoji earrings, & an apron that says "JOB" with a name tag attached. Maria stares blankly behind her mask. Bottom text: "autism wins!"

slide 4:

Top text: "3: I can sing to myself on walks without being spotted by traffic." Below is Maria strolling down the sidewalk with cars in the background, wearing a mask, a baseball cap, and a Phantom of the Opera t-shirt. Maria has a speech bubble of floaty text singing "aangel of muuusic" with music notes floating around.

slide 5:

Top text: "4: mask chains!" below is a boat-style mask with a mask chain made of letter beads that spell "yippee." Bottom text: "another layer of accessory-maxxing."

slide 6:

Top text: "5: adds to my aura of being the mysterious and unknowable coworker." Below Maria stands in their job apron with a black mask & mushroom earrings surrounded by question marks. Text around Maria reads "what do they look like??" "we are literally on the clock!!" "wouldn't you like to know weatherboy!!"

slide 7:

Top text: "6: nobody knows I'm eating fruit snacks." Below is Maria with her mask on wearing strawberry earrings looking nonchalant as text points to her saying "maria acting normal." In the bottom left corner we see through the mask like an x-ray showing Maria chewing as she holds a scooby-doo gummy. Text pointing to this drawing reads "the REAL maria."

slide 8: