Videos are ubiquitous in higher education. They are used to promote content and events, but also used in courses for content dissemination. It is important to ensure that people can access video and audio content in different ways. When these supports are provided, everyone benefits. For example, captions are necessary for some people to access video content but are commonly used by many other people.
Opportunities and Challenges
Accessibility opportunities:
- Videos are an effective way to represent visual content and procedures.
- Videos can be a great way to provide descriptions for complex visual content like tables and flowcharts.
- Videos can include closed captions or, if needed, open captions on videos.
- Creators can professionally or manually caption videos.
- Transcripts can be easily included along with audio-only content.
- Language use can be more conversational or informal.
Accessibility challenges:
- Videos can be difficult for people who cannot access visual content.
- It can be difficult to make non-narrated visuals accessible (audio-description is an option in these cases).
- Long videos can be difficult to navigate without appropriate chaptering and structure.
- Creators need to carefully consider sound and visual clarity.
Learn More about Accessible Audio and Video
Most people think about accessible audio and video as ensuring there are effective captions and a transcript. These are important considerations, but it is also important to consider how these are created as well. Accessibility starts from the very beginning of the design process.
Video and Audio Suggestions
- Implement the accessibility essentials
- Accessible headings – When using headings, be sure headings are appropriately sized and color contrast is considered.
- Alternative text – Consider if visual content needs to have audio description. A narrator or speaker can describe content.
- Color contrast – Color should be considered throughout a video. This should include the visuals as well as any text used.
- Descriptive links – Read links aloud with appropriate pauses to ensure someone can type the link.
- Accessible tables and charts – Tables and charts should be described for both content and structure.
- Captions and transcripts – Consider whether the video needs open or closed captions, and always include a transcript with the video.
- Clear language – Video content can be more conversational, and there are opportunities to define terms as needed.
- Always ensure as high a production quality as possible.
- Consider how videos might be viewed in advance (computer, displayed, mobile, etc.)
- When needed (videos where the visuals carry meaning), include audio description.
- Avoid using auto-captions as the primary means of captioning (professionally caption or edit auto-captions to ensure quality)
- Always manually check captions prior to distribution.
- Implement the accessibility essentials
- Descriptive links – Read links aloud with appropriate pauses to ensure someone can type the link.
- Accessible tables and charts - Tables and charts should be described for both content and structure.
- Captions and transcripts – Transcripts should be easily accessed and the transcripts themselves should be accessible.
- Clear language - Audio content can be more conversational, and there are opportunities to define terms as needed.
- Audio quality should be as high as possible.
- Background noise should be reduced as much as possible.
- People should be identified prior to the first time speaking and again if they have not spoken for a longer period of time.
- As needed, the context of the audio should be provided where the audio is being used.
