1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative – Prerecorded (Level A)
Table of contents
For all prerecorded video files there must be either an audio description or a full text description.
What you need to know
- If your video’s sound conveys all relevant information, no audio description is needed.
- You may notice there’s some overlap between this success criteria and 1.2.5. That’s because creating an audio description of your video is required by that success criteria as well.
- An audio description provides important information (e.g. actions, characters, scene changes) during pauses in the dialogue of a video.
- Including a full text description directly below your video is a nice enhancement, but you need to satisfy the audio description under 1.2.5 which means the text description is not required.
Plain English Explanation
- Include an audio description with prerecorded videos that convey non-spoken information.
Reference
Read the full explanation of success criterion 1.2.3 on W3.org.
Related Resource
Read “1.2.3 Techniques” from W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative for more information about this success criterion.
Related Posts
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)
Make sure images and other non-text elements on your website are accessible by including meaningful text alternatives (alt text).
1.2.2 Captions – Prerecorded (Level A)
For all prerecorded video files there must be synchronized and accurate closed captions (CC).
1.2.4 Captions – Live (Level A)
For all live video broadcasts real-time closed captions that identify speakers and include relevant sounds in the environment need to be provided.