Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources (OER): Meme Accessibility

• Memes are images with a common or relatable theme with text overlaid.
• Memes have become a part of culture and communication both online and off.
• Due to their visual nature, memes can present accessibility concerns for people who are blind or have low vision.
• Don't stop using memes, just make sure to create them so they are accessible and use them accessibly.

How to create accessible memes

• Consider the context of the meme
• Alt-Text needs to explain the text and the image to be accessible.
• Don’t try to describe the meme's meaning, instead describe what the character/subject of the meme is saying and/or doing.
• Describe the meme with Alt-Text.
  • Who are the character(s) in these memes?
  • What actions are the characters performing, if any?
  • What emotions or facial expressions do the character(s) exhibit in these examples?
  • Do you recognize the source of the image (TV show, movie, etc)? If so, what is it?
  • Is there anything notable, or different about the background of the image?

The alt text for the above meme is "Boromir (played by Sean Bean) in Lord of the Rings with his hand making a circle with his middle finger and thumb touching. Overlayed text on top “one does not simply" Overlayed text on bottom "create memes about accessibility".

References