Audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media. (Level AA)
Intention of 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)
In a video presentation, people who are blind or those who have visual challenges miss the information that is conveyed through visuals alone. The video only information include the pauses due to actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text that are important and are not described or spoken in the main sound track. The intention of 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)success criteria is to identify and address these problems on the web.
Providing audio description of the video content: The audio description supplement’s information conveyed through actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text available during the dialog pauses and which is conveyed only through visuals. Eg: The advertisements on the television that says, Order our product through the telephone numbers displayed on the screen. This information should be spoken out so that the viewers with blindness and visual challenges too benefit.
Remember if all the information in the video track is conveyed through audio track then audio description is not required. You can consider the success criteria 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded) is already met. This success criteria is automatically met if the author choose to provide audio description to meet 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded). If the author choose to provide alternate for time-based media for 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (prerecorded) to meet level A conformance , then at level AA audio description must be provided to meet 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded).
Note that 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) and 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded) overlap each other. These different success criteria’s are provided to give authors a choice in the minimum conformance levels and provide additional requirements at higher levels.
Who benefits with 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded)
- People with blindness and visual impairment.
WCAG 2.0 techniques for 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded)
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H53: Using the body of the object element (HTML)
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G78: Providing a second, user-selectable, audio track that includes audio descriptions
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G173: Providing a version of a movie with audio descriptions using one of the following
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G8: Providing a movie with extended audio descriptions using one of the following
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G203: Using a static text alternative to describe a talking head video