WCAG 1.2 Time-based Media

Hi, welcome back. I’m Lisa, founder of Five Penny Web Studio, and this is the No Stress Web Success Podcast. This is our series, Accessibility for Humans—a podcast for busy nonprofit, executive, and marketing leaders who manage their own websites and want a practical understanding of accessibility and WCAG guidelines.

In our last episode, we talked about non-text content: things like images, icons, logos, and buttons, and how to make sure they communicate their purpose to everyone.

Today, we will look at time-based media. Time-based media includes audio, video, podcasts, webinars, and live streams. The goal is simple: provide alternatives so people can access the information, whether they hear it, see it, or experience it live.

The central idea is: if someone cannot hear the audio, or if they need to read instead, can they still get the message?

This is actually a lengthy topic, so for this episode, we’ll focus on transcripts and captions. We’ll cover:

• 1.2.1 – Pre-recorded audio-only and video-only
• 1.2.2 – Captions for pre-recorded video
• 1.2.4 – Captions for live media

So let’s grab our coffee, sit down, and let’s get started.

In plain terms, time-based media needs accessible alternatives.

• For audio, that may mean a transcript.
• For video, it may mean captions, audio description, or a descriptive transcript.
• For live events, it usually means live captions.

The right solution depends on the type of media and the information it contains. A simple talking-head video may need captions and audio description. A podcast may need a descriptive transcript. A live stream may need captions while it is happening.

The important question is: can people access the same information without relying on one sense?

1.2.1 Audio Only and Video Only (Pre-recorded)

This guideline applies to pre-recorded audio-only and video-only content.

For audio-only content, such as a podcast, audio interview, or MP3, you need a descriptive transcript. The transcript should include the spoken content and any important information, such as speaker changes, laughter, music, or meaningful sound effects.

For video-only content, you need either a descriptive transcript or an audio track that communicates the important visual information. For example, imagine a silent video showing how to complete a form. A transcript that simply says “someone completes a form” may not be enough. It should explain the meaningful steps shown in the video, or the video should include audio that explains the steps.

For most organizations, the most common example is a podcast or audio interview. A written transcript gives people another way to access the conversation.

Here’s what to look for:

• Does every pre-recorded podcast or audio file have a transcript?
• Does the transcript identify different speakers?
• Does it include meaningful sound effects, music, or other important audio?
• If you have a video with no audio, does the transcript or audio track explain what is happening visually?
• Is the transcript easy to find near the media player?

1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded)

This is about captions for pre-recorded video that contains audio. Captions should include spoken dialogue as well as important sounds. That might include a door closing, applause, music, laughter, or a new speaker being identified.

Captions are not the same thing as subtitles. Subtitles usually translate or transcribe dialogue. Captions are designed to communicate the important audio information, including sounds that help the viewer understand what is happening.

For example, if someone in a video says, “Welcome to our food pantry,” the caption should include that dialogue. If a song begins playing in the background and it affects the scene, that should be identified in the caption as well. The captions should be synchronized with the video, accurate, and easy to read.

Here’s what we look for:

• Does every pre-recorded video with audio have captions?
• Are the captions synchronized with the words being spoken?
• Do they include important sounds?
• Are automated captions corrected for names, places, acronyms, and technical terms?
• Can users turn the captions on and off easily?

On platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, captions may be available automatically. That can be a helpful starting point, but automated captions should always be reviewed and corrected.

1.2.4 Captions (Live)

This guideline applies to live media that contains audio. This includes live streams, live webinars, virtual town halls, online classes, and live video conferences.

For live events, captions should be available while the event is happening. This helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow the conversation, but captions can also help people in noisy environments, people who are not fluent in the language being spoken, and anyone who prefers to read along.

Live captions may be provided by a human captioner, a captioning service, or automated technology. The most important thing is that they are available, understandable, and turned on for the live audience.

What do we look for?

• Do live webinars and live streams include captions?
• Are captions available from the beginning of the event?
• Can participants find or turn on the captioning feature?
• Have you tested the captioning tool before the event begins?
• Will a caption recording be available afterward?

Live media can be harder to caption perfectly, so planning matters. If your organization regularly hosts live events, choose a platform with reliable captioning and include a quick accessibility check in your event preparation.

Takeaway

Transcripts and captions help people access the words and sounds in your content. We’ve talked about making the words and sounds available through transcripts and captions, but what about information that only appears on the screen?

In the next episode, we’ll look at the second part of this guideline: visual information, audio description, and how to make sure people can understand what is happening—not just hear the dialogue.

If you have questions or would like to hear more about us, come visit us at fivepennyweb.com. If there’s any particular topic that you would like to discuss, or you just have questions about accessibility in general, we’re always here to answer your questions.

Lastly, if you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to send us a review. Just let us know how we’re doing and what we can do to improve. We love hearing from you.

So with that, have a great day, and I will talk to you next time.