Alt-Text Accessibility
Task & Finish Group

The Alt-Text Accessibility Task & Finish Group (TFG) aims to deliver best-practice recommendations for the creation of alt-texts for scholarly images, to help to enable publishers to in making their content accessible to users with disabilities, and in meeting the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

Context and problem statement

Scholarly publishers want all users to be able to read their content. From April 2026, Title II regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of the US Department of Justice will require US institutions to ensure that all digital content, across websites and mobile apps, is accessible to people with disabilities. New content thereafter will be expected to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, one aspect of which is the requirement for text alternatives that describe any images present within the content (so-called alt-text), bringing it into line with the European Accessibility Act (EAA). To support effective processes that make scholarly content better accessible, this STM Task & Finish Group is developing a controlled and shared classification model for the creation of short description alt-text for images.

Weigh in on the draft image-type taxonomy report

Developed by this TFG, this draft image-type taxonomy aims to support accessible publishing, with a focus on helping authors and publishers write better image descriptions (alt text). Not only does it help prepare for the upcoming ADA Title II update (coming into effect April 2026), it also supports our shared goal of making scholarly content more inclusive and available to all. Learn more and share your feedback. 

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Join us on Feb 10 to learn more

You’re invited to learn more about the draft image-type taxonomy at a live virtual event where we’ll cover:

  • the context and purpose for the new taxonomy
  • the latest developments in accessibility legislation
  • an introduction to the taxonomy itself
  • a demonstration of an interactive tool that has been created to facilitate interaction with the taxonomy
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STM’s Draft Alt Text Taxonomy Featured on The Scholarly Kitchen

“….This taxonomy is a collaborative effort by members of the STM Association to develop a comprehensive classification system for images in scholarly publishing. In part, it is intended to assist authors and publishers in meeting the upcoming update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), going into effect April 24, 2026, and other global legislation.”

Access the full article and chime in!

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About the Alt-Text Task & Finish Group

The Alt-text TFG is comprised of subject matter experts from leading scholarly publishers. These colleagues are collaborating to share expertise and information, and to develop a common vocabulary for images as well as best-practice recommendations for authors to create alt-text for their publications. The recommendations will be purely optional and have no legal or binding effect. A draft will be made available for public comment in early 2026. Watch this space!

Meet the members of the Task & Finish Group

  • Autumne Franklin and Alison Kreckmann, American Chemical Society 
  • Stacy Tucker, American Medical Association 
  • Gabrielle Cornefert, de Gruyter Brill 
  • Beth Richard, Elsevier 
  • Parisa Zare, Emerald 
  • Casey Schwartz, IEEE 
  • Shannon Lawinger and Lorna Notsch, Sage 
  • Hollie Kay and Bjoern Miyoshi (co-chair), Springer Nature 
  • Andrew Kelly (co-chair), Sagiv Lapkin, Vincent Lizzi, James Yanchak, Taylor & Francis 
  • Lisa Fishman and Christina Volpe, Wiley 

 

Status

This Task & Finish Group is currently active.

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