non-image accessibility

Log from IRC server Freenode (IPv6) channel #CSS.

<me> I'm using a visual element (div with background) to facilitate the graphic aspect and it doesn't have any structural relevance thus I'd like to warn those with text-based browser but div doesn't seem to have longdesc, is there another way beside putting an invisible image ?
<lukeW> me; the answer is 'rel
<aerocode> me, what warning would text-browser users need?
<jedimindows> me actually not rel
<lukeW> 'rel'
<jedimindows> title
<jedimindows> <div title="something" />
<jedimindows> rel is applicable to anchors
<lukeW> true
<jedimindows> and discribes a relationship of the anchor to the current page
<lukeW> oops
<jedimindows> describes
<jedimindows> tsk tsk lukeW
<jedimindows> TSK
<lukeW> :)
<lukeW> i was thinking anchor for some reason
<aerocode> yeh, wha he sai'.
<me> jedimindows: it's like 2-300 chars long, it's ok with title ?
<jedimindows> me you can always have it inside the div
<jedimindows> and use an image replacement technique
<jedimindows> to hide the text and display the bg image
<aerocode> ^^ good idea.
<jedimindows> div { width: [something]; height: [something]; overflow: hidden; text-indent: -1000em; }
<me> jedimindows: oh yes ! and have the CSS hide it, nice
<jedimindows> and background: url(...) obv
<aerocode> but again I ask, what warning will text-based users need? What's the point?
<jedimindows> aerocode maybe he's got text in the image that he wants screen readers to pick up
<jedimindows> ]ir @ me
<_ZofBot4> me, ir: www.mezzoblue.com/tests/revised-image-replacement/
<jedimindows> for a few other techniques aside from the one i just gave you
<aerocode> jedimindows, I always forget about screen readers...
<lukeW> but you can always use a negative text-indent...
<lukeW> do screen readers pick up on the title attrib in real life?
<jedimindows> no only in fantasy land
<lukeW> it sounds like wishful thinking to me
<lukeW> yeah
<lukeW> just put the text in the div and shunt it out of view
<lukeW> however, it might be logical to use title to store a text for a tooltip, say
<me> thank you for your accessibility tips :)