Video Accessibility: Audio Descriptions and Transcripts

Beyond Captions

Captions serve deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, but blind and low-vision viewers also need accommodations. Audio descriptions narrate visual information that isn't conveyed through dialogue. Transcripts provide a text alternative that works for both groups and is searchable by machines.

Audio Descriptions

Audio descriptions are narrations inserted during natural pauses in dialogue, describing important visual elements: on-screen text, facial expressions, scene changes, and actions. For example: "Sarah glances at the document on her desk, then looks out the window at the approaching storm." Extended audio descriptions pause the video to allow longer narrations when natural pauses are insufficient.

Transcripts

A complete transcript includes dialogue, speaker identification, sound effects, music descriptions, and descriptions of significant visual content. Transcripts serve multiple purposes: accessibility, SEO (search engines can index the text), content repurposing (blog posts, social media), and translation.

Accessible Video Players

The video player itself must be keyboard-navigable with visible focus indicators. Play/pause, volume, progress bar, caption toggle, and fullscreen controls must all be operable without a mouse. Screen readers must be able to announce the current playback state and available controls.

WCAG Requirements

Level A requires captions for pre-recorded video and a text alternative (transcript or audio description). Level AA requires captions for live video and audio descriptions for pre-recorded video. Level AAA requires sign language interpretation and extended audio descriptions. At minimum, aim for Level AA compliance.