Digital Accessibility

Audio and video accessibility considers the needs of presenters and audiences for live and pre-recorded media. It includes the creation and delivery of spoken, written, and visual content and the use of various tools and platforms in the sharing of that content. This page provides best practices for accessibility in live and pre-recorded audio and video media, resources for creating captions and transcripts, and instructions for enabling accessibility features in Zoom, WarpWire, and commonly used Google and Microsoft applications.

Live Audio & Video 

• Provide live captioning by default
• Make slides and supplemental material available before the session
• Describe all visual content, including charts and graphs, during presentation
• Introduce speakers each time they speak
• Do not include content that can cause seizures or physical reactions
• Follow best practices for accessible presentations

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Pre-Recorded Audio

• Include accurate transcripts in accessible formats
• If multiple speakers, identify speakers each time they speak
• Describe sounds or noises that are important to context or meaning of audio
• Can be paused, stopped, and played at a faster or slower speed
• Use media players that support accessibility

Pre-Recorded Videos

• Include all practices for pre-recorded audio
• Include accurate captions that are synchronized with audio
• Provide descriptions of all visual content
• Use sufficient color contrast and sizing in graphics and text
• Provide warnings and alternatives for, or do not include, content that can cause seizures or physical reactions

Captions and subtitles are a text-version of audio content, synchronized to the audio and/or video and typically displayed in the media player used to access the content. They offer greater accessibility to people who cannot hear audio or who process written information better than audio, and can also be applied for spoken audio translated into another language.

Transcripts are text alternatives to watching and listening to audio and video content. They should include both transcribed audio content and descriptions of sounds or noises that are important for context, as well as descriptions of any visual information.