Your Alt Text Strategy Is About to Be Tested—Is It Scalable?

The clock is ticking for publishers. By June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will require digital content (ebooks, online publications, educational materials, and more) to meet stringent accessibility standards. At the heart of these requirements is a deceptively complex task: providing accurate, meaningful alt text for images.

However, not just any alt text is helpful for people with visual impairment. Contextual alt text that aligns with the purpose and meaning of each image within the content provides meaningful access to information, enabling users to fully understand and engage with the material as intended. For publishers managing large catalogs and ongoing content production, creating contextual alt text at scale is no longer optional; it's essential for compliance, user experience, and legal protection.

DCL Provides Automated Contextual Alt Text at Scale

DCL creates contextual alt text for publishers in an automated manner. Publishers provide files of their books and we use our software and a closed-system AI to analyze the text and images to create meaningful alt text. DCL’s solution automates alt text creation at scale, producing high volumes of contextually accurate, EAA-compliant descriptions that are genuinely useful to readers with visual impairments.

Let's look at the following image from The Story of Westminster Abbey:

Standard alt text often defaults to the image caption, resulting in repetitive descriptions that fall short of conveying the depth and nuance visual readers gain from simply seeing the image.

Standard Alt Text

The High Altar

Extending alt text to around 15 words allows for more context, clarity, and nuance, which is especially important in complex or content-rich images. While overly brief alt text can leave users guessing, a slightly longer description offers enough detail to convey the image’s true purpose and relevance within the content. For users with visual impairments, this added context improves comprehension and engagement. For publishers, it supports both accessibility best practices and compliance with the EAA.

15-word Contextual Alt Text

The image depicts the High Altar in Westminster Abbey, showcasing its intricate architecture and historical significance.

Extending alt text to 25 words creates space to integrate not just what’s shown in the image, but why it matters in the context of the surrounding narrative. This approach connects the visual to the text’s intent, reinforcing key ideas and ensuring that users with visual impairments receive the same interpretive cues as sighted readers. For publishers, this level of contextual alignment enhances the reading experience, supports deeper understanding, and strengthens compliance with accessibility standards that emphasize meaningful, user-centered content.

25-word Contextual Alt Text

The image depicts the High Altar at Westminster Abbey, showcasing its intricate design and historical significance. The altar is surrounded by pillars, with statues of notable figures such as Abbot Ware, King Sebert, and Richard II. The reredos features four white figures representing the four living creatures from Revelation, while the glass above reveals a glimpse of the Chapel of the Kings. In the background, the three Eastern Windows are visible, although they have undergone repairs over time. The image also highlights the architectural beauty of the Abbey, with its slender arches and Rose Window. Notable statues include those of Chatham, Goldsmith, Campbell, Addison, Shakespeare, and the Duke of Argyll.

Creating high-quality, context-rich alt text is essential but doing it manually across thousands of images is simply not scalable. That’s why DCL offers a secure, automated solution that generates contextual alt text in high volumes, aligned with the surrounding narrative and fully compliant with accessibility standards like the EAA. Our process ensures accuracy, consistency, and data privacy, making it possible for publishers to meet accessibility requirements efficiently without compromising quality or security.