Audio Descriptions

Downloadable page: Download Lesson on Audio Descriptions


The Standards

Section 508 Standards:

  • Standard 1194.24, d Links to an external site."All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency’s mission, regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be audio described." (Section508.gov)

WCAG 2.0 Guidelines:

  • Guideline 1.2.3 Links to an external site. "Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded): An alternative for time-based media or audio description of the prerecorded video content is provided for synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such. (Level A)" (W3C)

What do the Standards Mean?

When a video contains visual information that is not conveyed through a voice over, narration or dialogue then individuals with visual impairments may not get all the information they need from that video. Some possible solutions to this problem are as follows:

  1. Add detailed descriptions of the visuals in the script before recording
  2. Add an audio description track to the video

Include Visual Descriptions in the Video Script

Out of the two solutions, the easiest is to add visual descriptions in the script before you record the video. This is the approach more attuned to Universal Design for Learning and Backward Design because the creator is making the original material accessible to everyone from the beginning and negating the need to modify the media to make it accessible to those with disabilities. For more information about these topics, review the information in weeks 3 and 4.

On the other hand, if the video is already created or the video is not meant to have a voice over, narration or dialogue then an individual can consider the other solution.

Include an Audio Description Track in the Video

An audio description track is an additional track in the video that verbally describes what is happening in the video. Keep in mind that creating audio descriptions is not always easy, especially if you do not own the video. Creating audio descriptions sometimes requires special software, knowledge of video editing, and editing rights to the video. For these reasons, the other solutions might be the only viable options in some situations. An example of a video with audio descriptions is the introduction video for this MOOC. The video was not designed with a voice over, narration or dialogue. To make the introduction video accessible to people with visual disabilities, the team had to create another version of the video that contained an audio description track:

Download Transcript for Video: Access MOOC (with Audio Descriptions)

(1:20)

Some best practices for creating audio descriptions are as follows: 

  • Do not include personal judgments, opinions, analyses, motivations, etc. Describe only what is visible. 
  • Be as descriptive as possible in the time allotted. 
  • Use present tense. 
  • Be consistent with naming and terminology. 
  • Read text on the screen that is not recited in the dialogue. 
  • Do not record over dialogue.

Resources

Information on this page is from the following resources about audio descriptions:

Estimated time: 10 minutes