[Rich Content Editor] Enhance Complex Image Caption Capabilities

[murphym]

Problem statement:

Current RCE tools allow for the easy addition of Alt Text. This functions well for non-complex images. However, this does not function well for complex images such as a diagram of a cell. The length of the alt-text for these complex images can far exceed the maximum alt-text length for accessibility. There is no easy way to designate an image as complex and provide a long description or figure caption from the GUI. It is not feasible for faculty to learn HTML to code these things in.

Proposed solution:

W3C includes multiple examples of how to integrate long descriptions, figure captions, or references to where the long description occurs. Ideally, the RCE would include a checkbox on an image to denote it as a "complex" image. This would then provide a space for the user to input a long description. It would function the same as alt-text in that it is hidden to most users but would be read by screen readers for accessibility. This would provide a GUI option for faculty so they would not have to learn HTML to code these elements in. Providing this option would make it easier for faculty to meet our equity and accessibility standards.

User role(s):

admin,instructor,student,ta,designer

[murphym]

The W3C Guides for Complex Images.

[AllisonHowell]

Thank you for submitting this idea! I think it could likely go into several different themes; however, I think Fine-tune accessibility in Canvas and Canvas Studio is the best fit given the heart of the problem that needs to be solved. I've added to this theme for further consideration.