Accessible video and audio
All video and audio content needs to be accessible. This benefits a range of people, including those disabled by situational impairments, like trying to access a video in a public place.
You need captions and transcripts for videos:
- embedded in presentations
- hosted on your website
- promoted on social media channels
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W3C audio and video media resources
W3C has a detailed guide to making your audio and video media accessible. This includes planning for accessibility at the start of your project.
It also includes guidance on:
- making audio and video
- audio descriptions of visual information
- captions and subtitles
- transcripts
- sign languages
- media players
The guidance breaks down different elements of each topic. For example, tips for speakers, the script and recording set up.
Making audio and video media accessible (W3C)
You can also watch a video on captions in W3C's 'web accessibility perspectives' series. There's also some information on the benefits of captions and links to more resources.
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General guidance on video accessibility
The following articles give an overview on video accessibility. They explain the difference between closed and open captions. They also have guidance on transcripts and audio descriptions and should be used alongside Ulster's Guide to Captioning.
Captions, transcripts and audio descriptions (WebAIM)
A guide to using subtitles, captions and transcripts for accessibility (Big Hack)
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GIF Accessibility
Gifs are essentially video files. Alt text should also be added to these to make them fully accessible. You can do this on Twitter as you would an image.
On other platforms or programs, you may need to provide a plain text version. For example, you'll need to explain your gif in your social media post or on the page.
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Video and audio accessibility on social media
Depending on the social media platform, you may be able to add closed captions which you upload to your videos. For others, like Twitter and Instagram, you'll need to embed captions in the video (open captions) before posting.
You must add captions to videos to make them accessible. If you have a transcript already, this will be much easier. A transcript should also be made available to download or upon request through relevant signposting.
Try not to rely on auto-captioning as provided on YouTube and Facebook. These can be inaccurate. If you do use them, make sure to check the captions and edit any errors before publishing.
You can find guidance on making your social media videos more accessible in these articles which should be used alongside Ulster's Guide to Captioning: