The following best practices and resources help content creators develop accessible multimedia experiences that meet WCAG and other accessibility standards.
General Best Practices
- Use closed captions for all video content.
- Provide transcripts for all audio and video materials.
- Include audio descriptions for important visual elements.
- Use accessible video players that support keyboard navigation and screen readers.
- Avoid auto-playing media and ensure controls are accessible.
Captions
- Use closed captions instead of open captions to allow user control.
- Ensure captions are synchronized with the audio.
- Include speaker identification when multiple people are speaking.
- Transcribe non-speech sounds (e.g., laughter, music, sound effects).
- Use automatic captioning tools (YouTube, Zoom, Panopto, Microsoft Teams, Canvas Studio) but review for accuracy.
Transcripts
- Provide transcripts for all multimedia content, including spoken dialogue and non-verbal audio cues.
- Use time-stamped transcripts for long videos to improve navigation.
- Offer transcripts as downloadable text files (TXT, PDF, DOCX).
- Utilize AI transcription services (Otter.ai, Rev, Sonix) but manually review for accuracy.
Audio Descriptions
- Provide descriptions of on-screen actions, scene changes, and important visuals.
- Offer separate audio description tracks or integrate them into the main audio.
- Use professional voiceovers or text-to-speech tools.
- Ensure descriptions are concise and clear without overlapping spoken dialogue.
Accessible Video Players
- Use players that support keyboard navigation and screen readers and allow for adjustable playback speed and customizable captions.
- Ensure the pause, rewind, and volume controls are accessible.
- Avoid auto-playing media that cannot be paused or stopped.
- Accessible Video Players: Microsoft Stream
ISU Contracted Captioning and Transcriptioning Services
ISU provides captioning and transcription services to help make multimedia content accessible.
- 3Play Media: Closed captioning, transcriptions, subtitles ([Get access to 3Play Media](3Play/ISU Portal Page))
- Live CART: Human-generated captions for events, meetings, and classes.
- Midwest Captioning: Live captioning services
- ASL (American Sign Language) interpreting services
Additional Training and Learning Resrouces
- Creating Accessible Video and Audio (1h 30m) [LinkedIn Learning]
- Captioning and Transcripts for Accessibility (2h 15m) [LinkedIn Learning]
- Audio Description and Inclusive Media (1h 50m) [LinkedIn Learning]
- WCAG Guidelines for Multimedia (2h 10m) [LinkedIn Learning]
- Accessible Video and Digital Content (1h 45m) [LinkedIn Learning]