Video accessibility ensures that all viewers, including those with disabilities, can engage with and understand video content. This includes individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments.
Accessible videos create a better experience for a wider audience, including non-native speakers and people in sound-sensitive environments. Plus, they boost engagement, improve search visibility, and help businesses avoid legal pitfalls.
In this guide, we’ll break down key accessibility features and best practices to help you create more inclusive video content.
What is video accessibility?
Video accessibility refers to the practice of designing video content so that everyone, regardless of ability, can understand and engage with it. This typically involves adding elements such as captions, transcripts, audio descriptions, and accessible video players.
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Who benefits from accessible videos?
Making videos accessible isn't just about following rules, it’s about ensuring that a diverse range of viewers can fully engage with your content. Here’s who benefits the most:
- People with hearing impairments rely on captions and video transcripts.
- Those with visual impairments benefit from audio descriptions.
- Individuals with cognitive disabilities find structured, easy-to-follow content helpful.
- Users with motor impairments need accessible video players with keyboard navigation.
Legal and compliance considerations
Ignoring digital accessibility requirements can lead to legal complications and limit your audience. Many regions require video accessibility under laws like:
- WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): The WCAG provides a set of internationally recognized standards for making web content, including videos, accessible to people with disabilities. These guidelines cover aspects like captions, transcripts, and contrast ratios to ensure an inclusive experience.
- ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act): The ADA is a U.S. law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, including in digital spaces. It requires businesses and organizations to make their online content, including videos, accessible to all users.
- Section 508 (for federal agencies in the U.S.): Section 508 is a U.S. federal law requiring government agencies to make their digital content, including videos, accessible to people with disabilities.
The benefits of video accessibility
Making your videos accessible creates a better experience for a broader audience. By implementing accessibility features, you can reach more viewers, improve engagement, and even boost your content’s visibility online. Here’s how:
- Improving inclusivity: Accessible videos allow more people to engage with your content, regardless of their abilities. By incorporating captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions, you ensure that people with hearing, visual, cognitive, and motor impairments can fully participate in your content.
- Expanding audience reach: Captions and transcripts help non-native speakers understand the content more easily, making your videos more accessible to a global audience. They also benefit people watching in noisy environments or places where audio isn't an option, like offices or public transportation.
- Enhancing SEO: Search engines can’t watch videos, but they can index text. Adding captions and transcripts makes your video content searchable, increasing its discoverability and boosting your organic reach.
- Boosting engagement and comprehension: Clear visuals, captions, and audio content descriptions enhance the viewing experience by making content easier to understand and retain. This is especially useful for educational videos, training materials, and complex topics.
- Meeting compliance requirements: Many regions have accessibility laws that require video content to be accessible. Ensuring compliance with standards like WCAG, ADA, and Section 508 not only helps you avoid legal risks but also demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity.
Key elements of accessible videos
Creating accessible videos means ensuring that all viewers, regardless of their abilities, can fully engage with and understand the content. This involves incorporating various accessibility features that enhance the viewing experience for people with hearing, visual, cognitive, and motor impairments.
These key elements contribute to making videos more accessible:
Captions and subtitles
Captions and subtitles provide essential text-based alternatives to spoken content, ensuring that online videos can be understood even without sound.
- Captions display spoken dialogue and relevant sounds (e.g., "[laughter]") to assist viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Subtitles offer translations for non-native speakers, helping them follow along in a different language.
- Best practice: Use accurate, synchronized captions with proper punctuation to enhance clarity and comprehension.
- Tools: VEED’s auto-captioning tool makes adding and editing captions easy.
Transcripts
Transcripts provide a full text version of video content, making it accessible to people who prefer reading or require screen readers.
- Why they matter: They provide a text alternative for all spoken content, benefiting viewers with hearing impairments or those who prefer reading over watching.
- Best practice: Keep transcripts clear, structured, and timestamped for easy navigation.
- How to include them: Add transcripts in video descriptions or as downloadable files for easy access.
Audio descriptions
Audio descriptions narrate visual elements of a video, ensuring that blind or low-vision users can understand the content beyond just the dialogue.
- What they are: Narrations describing on-screen actions, settings, and important visual details.
- Best practice: Keep descriptions concise and time them well so they don’t interfere with dialogue.
- Tools: AI-powered narration tools or professional voiceover services can help create high-quality audio descriptions.
Accessible video players
An accessible video player ensures that viewers can interact with video content in ways that suit their needs.
- Features to look for: Keyboard navigation, adjustable playback speed, and color contrast options to support diverse accessibility needs.
- Examples: VEED’s video player and other platforms that support accessibility settings make it easier for all users to engage with videos.
Clear and easy-to-read visuals
Ensuring that on-screen visuals are clear and readable helps all viewers, including those with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities.
- Use high-contrast colors to improve readability and make text stand out.
- Avoid flashing content that may trigger seizures, adhering to WCAG guidelines.
- Use large, legible fonts for on-screen text to improve clarity and accessibility.
Sign language interpretation
Sign language interpretation provides real-time translation for deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers, ensuring they can fully understand the video content.
- When to use it: For educational, governmental, or essential information videos where accessibility is crucial.
- Best practices: Place the interpreter in a visible corner of the screen, ensuring they are well-lit and easy to follow throughout the video.
How to make your existing videos more accessible
Making older videos accessible is just as important as creating accessible content from the start. If your business has a library of videos that aren’t yet accessible, there are several ways to improve them without starting from scratch. Here’s how you can enhance the accessibility of your existing videos.
Steps to improve older videos
Updating older videos with accessibility features ensures that they are inclusive and compliant with accessibility standards.
- Add captions and transcripts: Use VEED’s captioning tool to generate and edit captions, ensuring accuracy.
- Enhance audio descriptions: Utilize AI narration tools or professional voiceovers to describe on-screen actions.
- Check video contrast and readability: Ensure text, graphics, and colors meet accessibility guidelines for better visual accessibility.
Tools for retrofitting accessibility
There are several tools available to help you add accessibility features to existing videos without extensive re-editing.
- VEED: Offers auto-captioning, subtitles, and transcript generation for seamless accessibility improvements.
- YouTube’s subtitle editor: A quick and free way to add captions to existing videos.
- Web accessibility checkers: Verify compliance with WCAG and ADA standards to ensure your videos meet accessibility requirements.
Testing video accessibility
Before publishing, it’s important to test your videos to ensure they meet accessibility standards and work for diverse audiences.
- Use built-in accessibility tools: Check captions, subtitles, and audio descriptions with accessibility features available on video platforms.
- Get feedback from diverse audiences: Engage individuals with disabilities to test your videos and provide insights on usability and effectiveness.
Common mistakes to avoid
While improving video accessibility, there are common pitfalls that can reduce effectiveness. Avoid these mistakes to ensure your content is truly inclusive.
Relying only on auto-generated captions without editing them
Auto-generated video captions are often inaccurate and may misinterpret speech, leading to confusion. Always review and edit captions for accuracy and proper punctuation.
Using low-contrast colors that make text hard to read
Poor color contrast can make text unreadable, especially for viewers with visual impairments. Ensure that text and background colors meet WCAG contrast guidelines.
Overloading videos with too much text or distracting visuals
Too much on-screen text or excessive visual effects can make videos overwhelming, especially for viewers with cognitive disabilities. Keep on-screen text concise and ensure visual elements enhance rather than distract from the message.
Ignoring mobile accessibility
Many viewers watch videos on mobile devices, where small screens and varying lighting conditions can impact accessibility. Ensure videos are optimized for different screen sizes and that text remains legible across devices.
Tools and resources for video accessibility
Having the right tools and resources makes it easier to create and maintain accessible videos. Whether you’re adding captions, enhancing audio descriptions, or checking compliance, these tools can help streamline the process.
Captioning and transcription tools
Accurate captions and transcripts improve accessibility for viewers with hearing impairments and those who prefer text-based content.
- VEED: Auto-captioning and transcript generation with easy editing features.
- Rev: Professional captioning and transcription services.
- Otter.ai: AI-powered transcription for quick and efficient text conversion.
Audio description services
Audio descriptions provide essential narration for blind and low-vision users, ensuring they can fully understand video content.
- Descriptive Video Works: Professional audio description services.
- 3Play Media: Offers audio descriptions along with captions and transcriptions.
Accessibility checkers
These tools help verify that your videos meet accessibility standards and guidelines.
- WAVE: Web accessibility evaluation tool for identifying potential issues.
- AChecker: Checks compliance with WCAG and other accessibility regulations.
Conclusion
Video accessibility isn’t just a legal requirement, it’s a smart business move. It ensures inclusivity, improves engagement, and expands your audience reach. By implementing just one feature, like captions or transcripts, you’re already making a difference.
Want to start making accessible videos today? Try VEED and improve video accessibility in just a few clicks.
