Apparently I got reported today for using the #Alt4me tag and not being blind. I was told by multiple people on Mastodon that if I didn't have the energy to do alt text for every image I could use this tag and someone would do it for me.
Instead I got reported to my instance owner. You all need to make up your fucking minds what is acceptable and what isn't if you want people to stay on mastodon. As it stands, I don't feel comfortable posting images anymore because if I don't have the energy to write alt text then I get shamed, if I used #Alt4Me I get reported
You people make it so tiring that for someone like me with ADHD and Executive Dysfunction it is much easier to just not use Mastodon to post any images!!!!
I'd also like to touch on how people always shame others with "invisible" illnesses. I cannot escape it. Just because I am sighted does not mean I am not disabled in some ways. But people can't see ADHD and executive dysfunction, so I just get their personal diagnosis of 'LAZY'.
I can tell why artists aren't flocking here in droves.
I don't know what I am going to do going forward but I feel pretty fucking uncomfortable posting any images to Mastodon now lest I be shamed or reported or fediblocked because someone didn't like whatever about my posts.
Thanks for that.
Boosts highly encouraged I think everyone should see this.
Erik
in reply to Konaburd • • •That is really awful and I'm so sorry it happened to you. There are all kinds of reasons why someone might struggle to write image draceiptiona and no one should be gatekept about that.
I've never heard of anyone being reported for not being blind enough to ask for help before, I hope and sincerely expect it doesn't happen again, but I don't blame you if it puts you off Mastodon or posting images here. But it's that person who reported you who should be driven away, truly. Not you.
Erik
in reply to Erik • • •The nature of anonymous reports means we'll never know of course, but I seriously doubt it was a blind person reporting LB for using Alt4Me despite not being blind.
I expect it was a sighted person who probably thought they were doing a good thing by gatekeeping the hashtag.
So if you're a sighted person thinking about reporting someone for asking for help with image descriptions, DON'T.
I'm blind and I do not want you to do that. This isn't just our thing. You're making things worse. Stop.
Konaburd
in reply to Konaburd • • •Just a quick blanket response:
I will no longer be responding to any replies who suggest that I am "coming from a place of sighted privilege" (I know I have vision, thank you) or that I am somehow attacking the B/VI community because #notallmastodon or some bullshit. The fact that I have gotten such an overwhelmingly positive response from this post shows that there is a large issue.
If this post didn't resonate with so many people, it would not have gotten the attention that it did. Even B/VI people are in the replies talking about how they agree that this is an issue.
This post isn't about B/VI people. We know we need to use Alt text. This post is about people being treated poorly because they cannot reliably produce Alt-Text. If you are coming at me for attacking the B/VI community then your anger is misplaced, as that is not what I am doing.
Thank you.
Matt Campbell
in reply to Konaburd • • •