What are Audio Descriptions, Captions & Transcripts?

Key Points:

Audio Descriptions, Captions & Transcripts

• Good for people with Hearing, Vision & Cognitive disabilities.
• Useful for assistive technologies to access alternative formats of content.
• Spoken words in video content are not accessible to people with hearing and some cognitive issues.
• Non-verbal video scenes are not accessible to people with both vision issues & hearing issues.
• Audio of video content requires captions, transcripts & where possible, non-verbal scenes benefit from audio descriptions.

Introduction

Why are Audio Descriptions, Captions & Transcripts important?

Digital content with sound is normally presented either as an audio file, part of moving image slides, or as part of a video. However without alternative ways to present the same content, people with difficulty hearing, seeing or processing are often excluded from that content.

By using audio descriptions, captions and transcripts, we can take a more inclusive approach for everyone by providing access to digital content that has sound. This way, all audiences can interact with the content effectively.

Audio Descriptions

People with vision issues benefit from audio description of non-verbal scenes, as they provide an audio and on screen text for non-verbal content.

For example, the image above shows a video scene that could have the following audio description announced for people with visual disabilities:

“Surfers crouch low as they are carried in front of the crest of a 4 metre high barrel-shaped wave”.

People with hearing issues would also benefit from on screen text for non-verbal audible sounds. As in the example below:

The image above shows a video scene that could have the following audio description (shown as white text in a lightly shaded box on the screen) timed with the scene sounds for people with hearing issues.

The audio description is timed with the scene to help people with hearing disabilities. The descriptions appears as

“Someone is banging loudly on the door”.

Closed Captions

Another helpful tool is the closed captions. They provide on-screen text for spoken word content as it happens.

The image above shows a video scene with the following closed captions:

“who wants coffee right now?”.

The caption is timed with the scene to help people with hearing and/or cognitive disabilities.

Transcripts

Transcripts can provide off-screen text for closed captions and audio descriptions combined, providing a full text alternative to the audio content.

Transcripts are especially useful to people with cognitive disabilities and also to people who rely on assistive technologies like refreshable braille keyboards. People who have both hearing & vision disabilities combined often use braille.

The image above shows a video scene with a window beside it with a text transcript of all audio sounds. This is timed with the scene to help people with hearing, vision and/or cognitive disabilities.

Who needs to provide Audio Descriptions, Captions & Transcripts?

Websites, apps, and any other digital product have to provide multiple ways for online interaction. This is because audiences are diverse, with different abilities and backgrounds.

Regulations worldwide, such as European Accessibility Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and EN 301 549, rely on WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) to promote digital accessibility best practices and being compliant with them is essential in most scenarios.

Nexus Inclusion have powerful tools to help you achieve accessibility regulations. Our AI-powered tools can support your company convert digital content in many ways, just so you offer inclusive audio, video, image and more. Sign up now and start your journey towards digital inclusion.