We're best summed up with our mission statement:

We provide a framework for crowd-sourcing accessible, text-based content for all Internet users, regardless of disability, access devices, or data restrictions.

What that translates to is that we work with anyone who can't access content for any reason (images, video, or audio) and match them with volunteers to create text-based versions of that content. For example, here's a picture of a cat:

Alt-text in HTML allows for someone to write a description of the image (which is present in the image above), but there are many places that don't have that ability. We work with volunteers to create transcriptions and descriptions of content like that picture. Here's an example transcription:

Image Transcription:

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[It’s an image of a white, black, and orange calico cat; her mottled grey-green eyes stare deeply into the camera as she stands on some steps in front of a house.]

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I'm a human volunteer content transcriber for Reddit and you could be too! If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!

It's not perfect, but it's more than enough to allow everyone to join in the conversation, and that's what's needed for a lot of people around the world. According to the WHO, there are over 2.2 billion people around the world who suffer from a vision impairment or blindness, and even more -- roughly 56% of the world's population -- lack access to internet / adequate technology. That means you may well be able to load text, but lack the bandwidth or tech to display images or more complex media.

We enable anyone with internet access, a keyboard, and a desire to help to be a volunteer. We provide the content and the templates; our wonderful crew of volunteers does the rest. At the time of this writing, we have 3,453 volunteers around the world, representing every continent (yes, including Antarctica!!) who have completed 108,366 transcriptions for those who need them. We've also been featured in WIRED and WIRED UK (link here!)!

Our team, much larger than what's just here on GitHub, is spread out across six countries, making us (and our focus) truly international. Funding is used for:

• Server / technology costs (e.g. OCR)
• Nonprofit costs (e.g. holding a physical mailbox)
• Community outreach
• Helping us forge new partnerships

Bringing content to everyone is our passion, and your support helps us do it. Everyone deserves accessibility; it's up to you to help ensure that everyone can participate!