How to make videos accessible?
The demand for video content is on the rise and all the brands are embracing videos as a major medium of communication. Most of the instructional content, how to do? promotional, marketing content takes the shape of videos. considering the rise of video content, it is important to know how to make them accessibility compliant.
Captions
Captions are text versions of the spoken word presented within multimedia. Captions allow the content of web audio and video to be accessible to those who do not have access to audio, those who cannot hear, those who may not be fluent in the language in which the audio is presented, those for whom the language spoken is not their primary language, etc.
Accessibility guidelines for captions
According to accessibility guidelines, captions should be:
- Synchronized: the text content should appear at approximately the same time the audio is available
- Equivalent: content provided in captions should be equivalent to that of the spoken word
- Accessible: caption content should be readily accessible and available to those who need it
Captions can be either closed or open. Closed captions can be turned on or off, whereas open captions are always visible.
Transcripts
Transcripts provide a textual version of the content that can be accessed by anyone. They also allow the content of your multimedia to be searchable. Transcripts allow anyone who cannot access content from web audio or video to read a text transcript instead. Transcripts do not have to be verbatim accounts of the spoken word in a video.
Accessibility guidelines for transcripts
Transcripts should contain additional descriptions, explanations, or comments that may be beneficial, such as indications of laughter or an explosion. Transcripts allow deaf/blind users to get content through the use of refreshable Braille and other devices. For most web video, both captions and a text transcript should be provided.
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Note: In order to be fully accessible to the maximum number of users, web multimedia should include both synchronized captions and a descriptive transcript.
Audio
Audio descriptions are intended for users with visual disabilities. They provide additional information about what is visible on the screen. This allows video content to be accessible to those with visual disabilities.
Accessibility guidelines for audio
When web video is produced with accessibility in mind, the audio descriptions are often unnecessary, as long as visual elements within the video are described in the audio.
Knowing the rules is the first step towards making the multimedia content accessible. It is high time we take accessibility seriously and make the Web (or World Wide Web) a better place for everyone.
