The intent of this success criterion is to provide people who are blind or visually impaired access to the visual information in a synchronized media presentation in the same human language as the video or page on which it appears. This success criterion describes two approaches, either of which can be used.
-One approach is to provide audio description of the video content. The audio description augments the audio portion of the presentation with the information needed when the - video portion is not available. During existing pauses in dialogue, audio description - provides information about actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text - that are important and are not described or spoken in the main sound track. + video portion is not available. Audio description provides information about actions, + characters, scene changes, and on-screen text that is important and not described + or spoken in the main sound track. Audio description is added during existing + pauses in the dialogue.
-The second approach involves providing all of the information in the synchronized media (both visual and auditory) in text form. An alternative for time-based media provides a running description of all that is going on in the synchronized media content. @@ -48,21 +44,18 @@
If the original audio does not have sufficient pauses in the dialogue, authors need to provide + an appropriate alternative instead in order to pass this criterion. +
If there is any interaction as part of the synchronized media presentation (e.g., "press now to answer the question") then the alternative for time-based media would provide hyperlinks or whatever is needed to provide the same functionality.
-For 1.2.3, 1.2.5, and 1.2.7, if all of the important information in the video track is already conveyed in the audio track, no additional audio description is necessary. - -
-1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded), 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded), and 1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded) @@ -78,61 +71,40 @@
See also 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded), 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) and 1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded).
- -- Describer: A title, "Teaching Evolution Case Studies. Bonnie Chen." A teacher shows photographs - of birds with long, thin beaks. -
- -- Bonnie Chen: "These photos were all taken at the Everglades." -
- -- Describer: The teacher hands each student two flat, thin wooden sticks. -
- -- Bonnie Chen: "Today you will pretend to be a species of wading bird that has a beak like this." -
- -- Describer: The teacher holds two of the sticks to her mouth making the shape of a beak. -
- ++Describer: A title, "Teaching Evolution Case Studies. Bonnie Chen." A teacher shows photographs of birds with long, thin beaks.
+Bonnie Chen: "These photos were all taken at the Everglades."
+Describer: The teacher hands each student two flat, thin wooden sticks.
+Bonnie Chen: "Today you will pretend to be a species of wading bird that has a beak like this."
+Describer: The teacher holds two of the sticks to her mouth making the shape of a beak.
+
Transcript of audio based on the first few minutes of "Teaching Evolution Case Studies, Bonnie Chen" (copyright WGBH and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc.)
-The intent of this success criterion is to provide people who are blind or visually impaired access to the visual information in a synchronized media presentation in the same human language as the video or page on which it appears. The audio description augments the audio portion of the presentation with the information - needed when the video portion is not available. During existing pauses in dialogue, - audio description provides information about actions, characters, scene changes, and - on-screen text that are important and are not described or spoken in the main sound - track. + needed when the video portion is not available. Audio description provides information about actions, + characters, scene changes, and on-screen text that are important and are not described + or spoken in the main sound track. Audio description is added during existing + pauses in the dialogue.
-This success criterion applies to all video content that contains important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone
. Content is not exempted if the original audio offers no pauses in the dialog where audio descriptions can be provided – it fails this success criterion. Similarly, where all pauses in the dialogue contain audio descriptions, yet additional important visual information has not been described, it fails this success criterion.
Despite failing this Success Criterion, authors are encouraged to then fall back to at least satisfying the requirements for Success Criterion 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded). As noted in the [Time-based media guideline](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/time-based-media):
+Sometimes, there is so much dialogue that audio description cannot fit into existing pauses in the dialogue. The option at Level A to provide an alternative for time-based media instead of audio description for synchronized media would allow access to all of the information in the synchronized media. This option also allows access to the visual information in non-visual form when audio description is not provided for some other reason.+
Alternatively, authors may consider creating a version of the content with extended audio description – see Success Criterion 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) (Level AAA).
+For 1.2.3, 1.2.5, and 1.2.7, if all of the important information in the video track is already conveyed in the audio track, no additional audio description is necessary. - -
-1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded), 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded), and 1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded) @@ -55,102 +54,45 @@
- Describer: A title, "Teaching Evolution Case Studies. Bonnie Chen." A teacher shows photographs - of birds with long, thin beaks. -
- -- - Bonnie Chen: "These photos were all taken at the Everglades." -
- -- - Describer: The teacher hands each student two flat, thin wooden sticks. -
- -- - Bonnie Chen: "Today you will pretend to be a species of wading bird that has a beak like this." -
- -- - Describer: The teacher holds two of the sticks to her mouth making the shape of a beak. -
- ++Describer: A title, "Teaching Evolution Case Studies. Bonnie Chen." A teacher shows photographs of birds with long, thin beaks.
+Bonnie Chen: "These photos were all taken at the Everglades."
+Describer: The teacher hands each student two flat, thin wooden sticks.
+Bonnie Chen: "Today you will pretend to be a species of wading bird that has a beak like this."
+Describer: The teacher holds two of the sticks to her mouth making the shape of a beak.
+
Transcript of audio based on the first few minutes of "Teaching Evolution Case Studies, Bonnie Chen" (copyright WGBH and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc.)