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Video & Audio

With transcripts, captions, and audio description, we can make our multimedia content accessible for persons who may not be able to hear or see it.

There are three key ways to make video and audio content accessible: transcripts, captions, and audio description.

Beyond transcripts, captions, and audio description, we can make our multimedia content accessible to more persons by translating it into other languages or providing sign language interpretation; however, translation and interpretation are not required to conform with our accessibility standards.

Transcripts & Captions

Transcripts are a written version of the audio or video content. They can come in different forms, but they should include all important information (audio and/or visuals), be accurate, and identify speakers where relevant. Under our accessibility standards, transcripts are required for prerecorded audio-only content (such as podcasts), and it is a best practice to provide transcripts for videos.

Captions are a text version of a video’s audio content. Captions should be accurate and synchronized with the corresponding audio. Captions differ from subtitles in that captions should include important sound effects, whereas subtitles may only include dialog. Open captions are permanently burned into the video, whereas closed captions can be toggled on or off (and sometimes customized in terms of font size and appearance). Under our accessibility standards, captions are required for videos, and captions may be either open or closed.

Transcripts and captions are essential for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they can also be helpful for multilingual audiences, viewers in noisy (or quiet) settings, anyone learning new material, or anyone who needs to search through audio or video content.

Audio Descriptions

Audio descriptions are verbal descriptions of visual content in a video. They are essential for people with low vision and people who are blind, and they can also be helpful for people who are distracted or multitasking. Under our accessibility standards, audio descriptions are required for recorded videos. Audio descriptions can come in three different forms: integrated, standard, or extended.

With integrated audio descriptions, audio descriptions are naturally integrated into the video’s original audio track. For example, if a speaker presents an image or a diagram while explaining a concept, they will take a moment to describe the graphic as if they were writing alternative text or describing the graphic on a podcast. We recommend using integrated audio descriptions wherever possible, since they align with principles of universal design, work naturally for instructional content, and are easier to implement than other forms of audio description.

As a best practice when presenting in class or at events, we ask that speakers verbally describe important visuals. This improves accessibility for live attendees and (if the event is recorded) avoids the need to add audio descriptions to the recording after the fact.

With traditional audio description, users can select a secondary audio track that includes verbal descriptions of important visual content. The verbal descriptions are spoken during pauses in the original video. Traditional audio descriptions are commonly used for movies and TV shows and are becoming more commonly available for streaming content on platforms like Netflix and Disney+.

With extended audio descriptions, video playback will be paused to create space for verbal descriptions of visual content. This makes space for more detailed descriptions than are possible with traditional audio description, but it requires specialized video players in order to work.

What To Do

Provide transcripts for audio-only content such as podcasts. Transcripts should be accurate, identify speakers, and include both dialog and important sound effects.

If you are ever sharing video-only content, provide a transcript and/or audio description.

Provide captions and audio description for videos. Captions should be accurate, synchronized, and include both dialog and important sound effects. If you are creating a new video, we recommend integrating audio descriptions into the standard audio track.

As a best practice, provide transcripts for videos.

Human Impacts

Without transcripts, people who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to access your podcasts or other audio-only content. Additionally, when you provide transcripts, all users will be able to easily search your content to identify what is most relevant to them and engage with it more carefully.

Without captions, people who are deaf or hard of hearing may be unable to access your videos. If captions are inaccurate or incomplete, viewers can miss important information.

Without audio description, people who are blind or have low vision will be unable to access your videos. If audio descriptions are inaccurate or incomplete, members of your audience will miss important information that is conveyed visually.

WCAG References

This skill corresponds to the following success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):