Provide Alternatives for Multimedia Content
Audio and video content require additional work to ensure they are accessible without being dependent on a specific sense. For example, audio-only content needs a text alternative for someone who cannot hear to be able to perceive that content.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II requires all university websites, mobile applications, documents made available online and digital course materials must be fully compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards by April 24, 2026.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for Multimedia Content
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 has several guidelines related to time-based media, which typically has a video and/or audio component.
In general, these guidelines are about providing ways to consume information that are not dependent on a specific sense. For example, audio content requires the sense of hearing. WCAG compliance requires having versions of equivalent content that don’t rely on hearing, such as videos with closed captions and audio-only files with transcripts.
Three of the most important accessibility components for time-based media are captions, transcripts and audio descriptions.
Captions
What are Captions?
Captions display spoken dialogue or narration, including speaker identification, as well as sound effects and music description. Captions are synchronized with the video and are displayed on top of it.
Closed captions are different from subtitles because they include not only dialogue but also sounds that are important to understanding a scene.
Caption Requirements
Required for WCAG 2.1 Level A compliance
All video files (prerecorded and live streamed) must be synchronized and include accurate closed captions.
Resources for Adding Captions to Videos
Transcripts
What is a Transcript?
A transcript is the textual version of the multimedia audio content. It may contain additional explanations, comments or descriptions — such as auditory action and background noise — in addition to dialogue. A transcript is usually a text document without any time information, but it may also be included on a webpage.
Transcripts can provide textual alternatives for audio-only content (such as podcasts) or videos that contain audio tracks.
Transcript Requirements
Required for WCAG 2.1 Level A compliance
All audio-only content needs to have a transcript available as a text alternative.
Transcripts for videos with audio are also helpful but not required; captions can serve as the text alternative.
Resources for Creating Transcripts
YouTube automatically generates transcripts for all videos with captions. Learn how to view video transcripts on YouTube.
Audio Descriptions
What is an Audio Description?
Audio descriptions are commentary and narration that guide the listener through a video or presentation. They should use concise, objective descriptions of scenes, settings, costumes, body language and more. Audio descriptions are intended for users with visual disabilities, providing additional information about what is visible on the screen — such as actions, scene changes, facial expressions and on-screen text.
Descriptive audio tracks can be added to videos that don’t have default audio and to videos that have a default audio track.
Audio Description Requirements
Required for WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance
Audio descriptions are required for all prerecorded videos.
To meet WCAG requirements, you can either:
- Add a secondary audio track to a single video, where one of the audio tracks is clearly labeled as an audio description track.
- Create a second version of the video that contains the normal audio and audio description in a single audio track; link to this second video any place the original video is linked.
Resources for Creating and Adding Audio Description Tracks
Additional Resources
Use Siteimprove to Find Issues with Multimedia Content
Siteimprove can help you find accessibility issues related to multimedia content on your webpages, including:
- Audio missing a transcript
- Audio that plays automatically and can’t be switched off
- Video without audio missing an accessible alternative
- Video missing captions
- Video with audio missing an accessible alternative
- Video missing an audio description
Find and Address Issues with Multimedia Content
To see if you have any of these issues on your site:
- Log in to Siteimprove.
- On the left side menu, open Accessibility > Issues.
- On the Issues table, set the filters to Responsibility: Content writing and Element Type: Other.
- Click on each issue to get more information about how to address the issue and see affected pages.
- Repeat this process on the Potential Issues (Accessibility > Potential Issues) page to review occurrences that need a human to review to see if they are issues.
Once you have identified the issue, go into your content management system (CMS) to address the issue and publish your changes. Some changes may need to be made in the system where you are hosting your media, such as YouTube or Vimeo.
After the page has been republished with your changes, go back to Siteimprove to rescan that page to see if the issue has been resolved.
Get Access to Siteimprove
All Texas A&M University website owners have the ability to monitor the accessibility (and quality assurance) of their sites using Siteimprove. Use Siteimprove to identify potential issues, learn how to address them and watch your scores over time. If you are responsible for a Texas A&M website, email web@tamu.edu with your name, NetID and the sites you are responsible for to get access.