Here’s how to add captions to your Twitter pictures to make them more accessible for blind and sight-impaired users

We thought we knew everything about Twitter. But a little-known feature that we didn’t know about is making the rounds, and with good reason. Apparently, you can put captions on your Twitter images to make them more accessible to blind and sight-impaired users. And it’s much easier to do than you may think.

Rob Long, a blind Twitter user, filled the world in on how to do it. And his post of instructions has gone viral. You need to manually update your settings — it’s not automatic. But it’s so easy, and you’ll be doing your part to enhance the Twitter experience for many visually-impaired users.

“One of the obstacles for us is, obviously, images. There’s a lot of users who are heavily based on posting funny images, or images to do with their artwork or photography, and stuff like that,” Long explained in a video. “And Twitter have [sic] made it accessible for us and our voiceover technology by allowing you to put a description up of your images. Which doesn’t affect your Twitter character limit or anything like that. And it won’t show up for users who haven’t got the voiceover technology on. So it won’t really affect your post at all. But it makes a massive, massive difference to a blind or visually impaired Twitter user. Obviously, we can participate in your posts a lot easier.”

Here’s how to add captions to your Twitter pictures.

First, open Settings & Privacy, and then find Accessibility. Next, check off “Compose image descriptions.” And that’s that. After that, you’ll have the option to describe the image you’re posting. Then, a blind or sight-impaired user can “see” what you see.

Much of the Twitterverse is on board with the idea, helping spread the word.

Many people have started to try it.

Here’s some helpful advice on what makes a good caption.

Celebrities retweeted Long’s post too.

It will only take you a few extra seconds to add captions to your photos — and it will benefit so many.