diff --git a/admin/themes/default/collections/browse.php b/admin/themes/default/collections/browse.php
index 2dc59b3ec..336f5fcb4 100644
--- a/admin/themes/default/collections/browse.php
+++ b/admin/themes/default/collections/browse.php
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
                     <?php foreach (loop('Collection') as $collection): ?>
                     <tr class="collection<?php if(++$key%2==1) echo ' odd'; else echo ' even'; ?>">
                         <td class="title<?php if ($collection->featured) { echo ' featured';} ?>">
-                            <?php if ($collectionImage = record_image('collection', 'square_thumbnail', array('role' => 'presentation'))): ?>
+                            <?php if ($collectionImage = record_image('collection', 'square_thumbnail')): ?>
                                 <?php echo link_to_collection($collectionImage, array('class' => 'image')); ?>
                             <?php endif; ?>
 
diff --git a/admin/themes/default/files/edit.php b/admin/themes/default/files/edit.php
index 983d14ce8..c94b320c2 100644
--- a/admin/themes/default/files/edit.php
+++ b/admin/themes/default/files/edit.php
@@ -37,6 +37,22 @@
                 <?php echo link_to($file, 'delete-confirm', __('Delete'), array('class' => 'big red button delete-confirm')); ?>
             <?php endif; ?>
             <?php fire_plugin_hook("admin_files_panel_buttons", array('view'=>$this, 'record'=>$file)); ?>
+            <div id="alt-text-form" class="field">
+                <?php echo $this->formLabel('file-alt-text', __('Alt Text'));?>
+                <div class="inputs">
+                    <p class="explanation"><?php echo __('Provide a brief description of visual files to screen reader users.'); ?></p>
+                    <?php
+                        echo $this->formTextarea(
+                            'alt_text',
+                            $file->alt_text,
+                            array(
+                                'id' => 'file-alt-text',
+                                'rows' => '5'
+                            )
+                        );
+                    ?>
+                </div>
+            </div>
             <?php fire_plugin_hook("admin_files_panel_fields", array('view'=>$this, 'record'=>$file)); ?>
         </div>
     </section>
diff --git a/admin/themes/default/files/show.php b/admin/themes/default/files/show.php
index 8ac6b321a..83011243a 100644
--- a/admin/themes/default/files/show.php
+++ b/admin/themes/default/files/show.php
@@ -31,11 +31,19 @@
         <?php endif; ?>
     </div>
     
-    <div id="item-metadata" class="panel">
+    <div id="file-item" class="panel">
         <h4><?php echo __('Item'); ?></h4>
         <p><?php echo link_to_item(null, array(), 'show', $file->getItem()); ?></p>
     </div>
 
+    <div id="file-alt-text" class="panel">
+        <h4><?php echo __('Alt Text'); ?></h4>
+        <p>
+            <?php echo metadata($file, 'alt_text'); ?>
+        </p>
+    </div>
+
+
     <div id="file-links" class="panel">
         <h4><?php echo __('Direct Links'); ?></h4>
         <ul>
diff --git a/admin/themes/default/items/browse.php b/admin/themes/default/items/browse.php
index 59e37a31e..9b3aab0d7 100644
--- a/admin/themes/default/items/browse.php
+++ b/admin/themes/default/items/browse.php
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
                     <td class="item-info">
 
                         <?php if (metadata('item', 'has files')): ?>
-                        <?php echo link_to_item(item_image('square_thumbnail', array('role' => 'presentation'), 0, $item), array('class' => 'item-thumbnail'), 'show', $item); ?>
+                        <?php echo link_to_item(item_image('square_thumbnail', array(), 0, $item), array('class' => 'item-thumbnail'), 'show', $item); ?>
                         <?php endif; ?>
 
                         <span class="title">
diff --git a/application/forms/AppearanceSettings.php b/application/forms/AppearanceSettings.php
index 674b92f59..fb2f12202 100644
--- a/application/forms/AppearanceSettings.php
+++ b/application/forms/AppearanceSettings.php
@@ -76,6 +76,16 @@ public function init()
             'class' => 'checkbox',
         ));
 
+
+        $this->addElement('select', 'file_alt_text_element', array(
+            'label' => __('File Alt Text Element'),
+            'description' => __('Default element to use in describing visual files to screen reader users via the image tag\'s alt attribute. This can be overridden using the file form\'s "Alt Text" field.'),
+            'multiOptions' => get_table_options('Element', null, array(
+                'record_types' => array('File', 'All'),
+                'sort' => 'orderBySet')
+            )
+        ));
+
         $adminThemes = Theme::getAllAdminThemes();
         if (count($adminThemes) > 1 && is_allowed('Themes', 'edit')) {
             foreach ($adminThemes as &$theme) {
@@ -102,7 +112,7 @@ public function init()
         $this->addDisplayGroup(
             array(
                 'use_square_thumbnail', 'link_to_file_metadata', 'per_page_admin', 'per_page_public',
-                'show_empty_elements', 'show_element_set_headings',
+                'show_empty_elements', 'show_element_set_headings', 'file_alt_text_element',
             ),
             'display-settings', array('legend' => __('Display Settings'))
         );
diff --git a/application/migrations/20240917160000_addFileAltText.php b/application/migrations/20240917160000_addFileAltText.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b95df6f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/application/migrations/20240917160000_addFileAltText.php
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Omeka
+ *
+ * @copyright Copyright 2007-2022 Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
+ * @license http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt GNU GPLv3
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Add alt text column to file table
+ *
+ * @package Omeka\Db\Migration
+ */
+class addFileAltText extends Omeka_Db_Migration_AbstractMigration
+{
+    public function up()
+    {
+        $this->db->query("ALTER TABLE {$this->db->File} ADD `alt_text` mediumtext collate utf8_unicode_ci");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/application/models/File.php b/application/models/File.php
index 1cafb17df..5f86ade34 100644
--- a/application/models/File.php
+++ b/application/models/File.php
@@ -114,6 +114,13 @@ class File extends Omeka_Record_AbstractRecord implements Zend_Acl_Resource_Inte
      */
     public $metadata;
 
+    /**
+     * Alt text to use for file display.
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    public $alt_text;
+
     /**
      * Folder paths for each type of files/derivatives.
      *
@@ -149,11 +156,35 @@ public function getProperty($property)
                 return $this->getDisplayTitle($this->original_filename);
             case 'rich_title':
                 return $this->getRichTitle(html_escape($this->original_filename));
+            case 'alt_text':
+                return $this->getAltText();
             default:
                 return parent::getProperty($property);
         }
     }
 
+    public function getAltText() {
+        $fileCustomAltText = $this->alt_text;
+        $fileAltTextElementId = get_option('file_alt_text_element');
+
+        if ($fileCustomAltText) {
+            return $fileCustomAltText;
+        } elseif ($fileAltTextElementId) {
+            $fileAltTextElement = $this->getElementById($fileAltTextElementId);
+            $fileAltTextElementTexts = $this->getElementTextsByRecord($fileAltTextElement);
+            if ($fileAltTextElementTexts) {
+                $fileAltTextElementText = $fileAltTextElementTexts[0]->text;
+                if ($fileAltTextElementTexts[0]->html) {
+                    $fileAltTextElementText = strip_formatting($fileAltTextElementText);
+                    $fileAltTextElementText = html_entity_decode($fileAltTextElementText, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
+                }
+                return trim($fileAltTextElementText);
+            }
+        } else {
+            return '';
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Initialize the mixins.
      */
diff --git a/application/schema/files.sql b/application/schema/files.sql
index 1475e5c46..f3a3c543d 100644
--- a/application/schema/files.sql
+++ b/application/schema/files.sql
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `%PREFIX%files` (
   `added` timestamp NOT NULL DEFAULT '2000-01-01 00:00:00',
   `stored` tinyint(1) NOT NULL default '0',
   `metadata` mediumtext collate utf8_unicode_ci NOT NULL,
+  `alt_text` mediumtext collate utf8_unicode_ci,
   PRIMARY KEY  (`id`),
   KEY `item_id` (`item_id`)
 ) ENGINE=InnoDB  DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_unicode_ci;
diff --git a/application/views/helpers/FileMarkup.php b/application/views/helpers/FileMarkup.php
index b6167c133..ae4b2fec9 100644
--- a/application/views/helpers/FileMarkup.php
+++ b/application/views/helpers/FileMarkup.php
@@ -636,18 +636,10 @@ public function image_tag($record, $attrs, $format)
         $alt = '';
         if (isset($attrs['alt'])) {
             $alt = $attrs['alt'];
-        } elseif ($fileTitle = metadata($file, 'display title', array('no_escape' => true))) {
-            $alt = $fileTitle;
-        }
-        $attrs['alt'] = $alt;
-
-        $title = '';
-        if (isset($attrs['title'])) {
-            $title = $attrs['title'];
         } else {
-            $title = $alt;
+            $alt = $file->getAltText();
         }
-        $attrs['title'] = $title;
+        $attrs['alt'] = $alt;
 
         $attrs = apply_filters('image_tag_attributes', $attrs, array(
             'record' => $record,
diff --git a/application/views/scripts/items/browse.php b/application/views/scripts/items/browse.php
index 91cf3794d..02d0d65f5 100644
--- a/application/views/scripts/items/browse.php
+++ b/application/views/scripts/items/browse.php
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
     <div class="item-meta">
     <?php if (metadata('item', 'has files')): ?>
     <div class="item-img">
-        <?php echo link_to_item(item_image(null, array('role' => 'presentation'))); ?>
+        <?php echo link_to_item(item_image(null)); ?>
     </div>
     <?php endif; ?>
 
diff --git a/bootstrap.php b/bootstrap.php
index bf98a5a8f..628af8355 100644
--- a/bootstrap.php
+++ b/bootstrap.php
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  */
 
 // Define the current version of Omeka.
-define('OMEKA_VERSION', '3.2-dev3');
+define('OMEKA_VERSION', '3.2-dev4');
 
 // Define the application environment.
 if (!defined('APPLICATION_ENV')) {