Alt text on directory photos disabled by default
Context
For most image fields in Drupal, the desired behavior is to have alt text enabled and required. However, for directory photos, having this field required frequently led to poor quality alt text along the lines of "Photo of Roger."
Decision
Because these photos are abundant (creating difficulties around enforcing high quality alt text) combined with the fact that they are predictably paired with information about the person in the photo, we have decided to disable the alt text field on these particular image fields.
This alt text field can and should be enabled for any site editors who request it, provided they understand how that high quality descriptive alt text should be added to the photo descriptions.
Status
Consequences
Photos in people's profiles and directory card listings will typically be marked as decorative, with alt=""