Introduction
This week we will focus on an overview of the 3 major concepts around media accessibility. In the weeks that follow, we will address specifically how to achieve these in the tools we have available.
Audio & Video Accessibility
1. Transcripts
For audio‑only content, such as podcasts or recorded interviews, a text transcript is required.
Transcripts also benefit many people who do not identify as having disabilities, including those who:
- Prefer to read rather than listen
- Need to search for information quickly
- Cannot listen in the moment
In two weeks we’ll cover in-depth ways to create accessible transcripts with Microsoft Word.
2. Captions
All videos with spoken content must include captions, whether they are live or pre‑recorded.
Effective captions include:
- Accurate text for what’s being said (including spelling and punctuation)
- Speaker identification when it matters
- Key non‑speech sounds (such as music or laughter) when they add meaning
Next week we’ll cover in-depth how to create captions for pre-recorded videos in ScreenPal. We plan on addressing captions for live video (such as a class meeting over Zoom) in April when we explore considerations for making summer classes accessible.
3. Audio description
Audio description is often the part of media accessibility that raises the most questions.
Audio description is needed when important information is only available visually and is not already explained in the audio.
A helpful question to ask is:
If someone couldn’t see the screen, would they miss something essential to understanding the content?
This might include:
- Charts or graphs
- Text shown only on screen
- Visual demonstrations
- Actions that carry meaning
Ways to provide audio description
There are two common ways to handle audio description.
Built‑in (integrated) description
The first and often easiest approach is to build description directly into the narration. For example, instead of silently showing a chart, the speaker might say:
“This chart shows enrollment steadily increasing from 2021 to 2024.”
When visuals are described naturally as part of the audio, separate audio description is usually not needed.
Separate audio description
The second option is to provide audio description as a separate track or separate version of the video.
This approach can be especially useful when:
- Videos are already produced
- Visuals are complex
- Adding description to the main narration would be disruptive
Both approaches are valid. What matters is that the information is available in a way that works for people who cannot access visual content.
Next week we’ll cover in-depth how to create an audio description track in ScreenPal.
Frequently Asked Question
“Why is it difficult to make PDFs accessible?”
Remediating PDFs varies widely based on how the file was created. If a PDF began as a clean and accessible Word document and was properly exported, accessibility issues may be minimal and quick to resolve. Many journal PDFs were designed for visual reading, not accessibility, so elements like charts, captions, and columns present more complex issues around reading order and as of right now many journals do not have their PDFs properly tagged which presents barriers to those using screen readers. Luckily, many of these PDFs are already OCR’d (i.e. searchable text) which is a large barrier to access. Scanned PDFs (e.g. scans of physical books), can present the greatest challenge as they usually start with little or no usable structure (neither OCR or tags); while automated tools can help identify text and elements, they often struggle if a scan is not high-resolution or poorly scanned (e.g. crooked or multiple pages on one PDF page) which makes remediation far more time and skill intensive.
Since remediating PDFs can be time consuming, it’s worth pausing to make sure it’s the best option for your class.
Questions to ask before you start remediating:
- Do you really need this file? This is a good time to re-evaluate course materials in general. If newer sources are needed or it isn’t essential to your learning objectives anymore consider removing it entirely.
- Is it available in another format? Does the same information already exist in another format? Sometimes an accessible Word doc or HTML version works better. If students are seeking different formats encourage them to use the alternative formats generator inside Panorama to create a different format from your original document.
- Can you link to a library resource? Linking directly to a library resource may provide a more accessible version of your reading. See the library guide on permalinks for more details. Simpson Library staff will also work with faculty who are trying to obtain more accessible versions of their course materials. Please reach out to them at umwlibaries@umw.edu.
- Can you convert this PDF? Is this PDF suitable for converting to a more accessible format (HTML, Word, Canvas page) to share with students? YuJa Panorama can generate some alternative formats that can be used to replace original document.
- Is your current PDF suitable for remediation? If document is from a scan from physical book or paper check to see if the document is blurry or crooked, re-scanning may be a necessary first step. If you can find a born-digital version of the text this is the best place to start from. If you need a new scan of a text and the item is in the library’s collection you can put in a digitization request for a new scan to be made.
We’ll be addressing PDF accessibility and remediation in more depth in March.
Related Guides
Much of the above comes from the guides on this site. Feel free to check them out as they can provide further context and link to further resources:
Get Support
If you have questions or need further support you can:
- Book an Accessibility Consultation
- Send an e-mail to t2access@umw.edu