[Matplotlib-users] The Scientific Python Alt-Text Workshop (for Matplotlib blogs & viz!)

[Noa Tamir]

👋 Hi folks,

We would like to invite you to join the the Scientific Python Alt-Text workshop [1] happening this Friday, May 13th @ 1PM UTC. You will learn how to communicate science more accessibly! This is particularly relevant to the Matplotlib Community since most of the viz which will get alt-text during this event are from our (former) blog posts, which recently moved to the Scientific Python blog [2]. So you might consider joining if you're interested in contributing alt-test to your own post, if you have written for us before, or if you just want to learn how to write informative alt-text for viz 😉.

Here are all the details:

Help us make open source Scientific Python more accessible! Join our workshop with [Isabela Presedo-Floyd](https://github.com/isabela-pf), [Mars Bar Lee](https://github.com/MarsBarLee), and [Pamphile Roy](https://github.com/tupui), where we will learn how to add image descriptions 🖼️ to blogposts, documentation and diagrams 📈. For more information on how to attend check out: https://hackmd.io/bfhftUCiTRqx2S8CTGUt6g

Images are powerful 🔥🔥, but not everyone can access them. People with visual disabilities use alt-text to understand images. Here's an example:

Alt-Text: Two examples highlighting how alt-text helps screen-reader users. Both example have an image of a cat. In the first example, the screen-reader reads out 'IMG_584729.png'. In the second example, the screen-reader reads out 'Cute cat'.

However, Scientific Python faces a unique challenge when it comes to accessibility. It's a bit more difficult to write alt-text for complex images, such as graphs 📈 or documentation 📖. Don't worry, with this workshop we'll learn how to do that! 💪

Alt-text: A histogram with multiple arrows pointing at various properties of a graph, such as shape and variance. To the side, various questions about on how to write alt-text for this histogram.

—

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about accessibility & alt text for viz, and to refine your communication skills. The workshop is led by experienced UX and accessibility folk!

Hope to see you there! ☺️
Noa (she/her)

[1]
https://hackmd.io/bfhftUCiTRqx2S8CTGUt6g

[2]
https://blog.scientific-python.org/posts/
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