On the Decision Underlying Decorative Images
Published on Oct 8, 2026, filed under development, accessibility. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)
Last week, Nicolas Steenhout published a post, It’s Time to Retire the Concept of Decorative Images. In it, Nicolas argues:
WCAG says some images can be hidden from screen readers because they are decorative. We use that label too often. An image may not give us important information, but it can still affect how we understand or feel about a page. We should consider what an image adds before deciding that a screen reader should ignore it.
Importantly:
I’m talking about the category label itself and how it shapes the decisions we make about images.
I believe Nicolas raises a good point: Images may be labeled decorative too quickly, too often.
Nicolas’ proposal: Rename the category in WCAG 3 (perhaps to “non-contributing”) and ask what an image adds—information, but also “meaning, mood, or context”—before hiding it.
The Challenge Won’t Go Away
While agreeing with the diagnosis, I’m not sure the cure is a new label, because two issues remain whatever we call the category:
The problem of subjectivity: Whether an image adds meaning, mood, or context is a judgment call. Even an example of a lonely late-night photo on an article about burnout may not be clear, as “non-contributing” requires the same judgment that “decorative” does.
The problem of responsibility: Under any label, someone still has to make that judgment. A label can prompt a decision but can’t make it for them, and a tweaked prompt does not change that.
There’s also a more fundamental question: Does every contribution to a sighted person’s experience have to become an accessibility contribution? It’s tempting to answer “yes,” but I don’t think that question has a simple answer in every case. While I believe it’s worth considering, too, I don’t want it to derail the point:
The work is ultimately done by a different question, one asked by the HTML specification: What is an appropriate replacement for an image? Judging images as “decorative” might lead people to conclude too quickly that no alternative is needed, but I believe that, for reasons of subjectivity and responsibility, there’s a valid gray zone—a spectrum that feels uncomfortable but may be necessary to accept regardless of the label we use.
About Me
I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).
I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Interpret charitably but be critical—and share feedback and advice that makes my work better.)