Inline images and high contrast mode for web accessibility

Question

I have been following the discussion on high contrast mode and background image sprites but I have a more basic question about inline images and HCM. For low-vision users without a screen reader on HCM, will they have difficulty seeing the inline image because it may not have sufficient contrast? Or are they expected to use a browser plugin to replace the inline image with its alt text?

I understand screen reader users will benefit because the alt text is read out? But, what about low vision users without a screen reader?

Answer 1

For low-vision users without a screen reader on HCM, will they have difficulty seeing the inline image because it may not have sufficient contrast?

Sometimes while in High contrast mode the images change as the color is defined, so a white background on an image is turned black. I don't know if this is dependent on the image type or something else. There are a number of disabilities that involve color wash, and it would be pretty hard to cover all bases 100%. I would say it is a good idea to create images with color ratios of 4.5:1 as defined in WCAG 2.0 to cover as many bases as you can.

Or are they expected to use a browser plugin to replace the inline image with its alt text?

I don't know any that do this off hand.