Audio description

Overview

Audio description is:

A narration track that verbally describes key visual content that is not accessible via audio alone.
Also known as “video description”, “visual description”, “descriptive video”, and simply “description”.
An art form, involving an understanding of how much information needs to communicated, what words to use, and when to use them.

People who are blind can understand much of a video’s content by listening to its audio. However, if a video includes content that is only presented visually (e.g., on-screen text or key actions that are not obvious from the audio) this visual information must be described.聽This benefits people who are unable to see the video due to blindness or low vision. It also benefits users who are visually distracted, watching a video in the background while multitasking.

Extended audio description聽is audio description that requires a pause in the video (i.e., if there aren’t otherwise enough gaps in the program audio to insert a description.)

Integrated description聽is the process of building in description of visual content directly into the video during scripting and production, thereby avoiding the need for audio description.

Avoiding the need for audio description

The need for audio description can be avoided by ensuring all important visual information is communicated verbally. Here are some examples:

– This video features several speakers, whose names and affiliations are displayed visually with on-screen text. To avoid the need for audio description, each speaker introduces themselves the first time they speak, and a narrator reads the closing credits.
– This website from Accessible Media, Inc. (AMI) includes a series of high-quality videos produced to educate on the benefits of integrated description.

Prioritizing Your Videos for Audio Description

Videos can be prioritized for audio description using the same variables that are used for prioritizing videos for captioning:

Audience demographics聽– If the target audience for a video is likely to include individuals who are blind or low vision, the video should be a top priority.
Traffic聽– Your most popular videos should probably be a high priority.
Publication date聽– Newer videos should probably be a high priority.

In general, it is best to focus initial efforts on high impact videos, for example:

videos available to the public on a high-use website
videos that will be used multiple times in a course
videos developed by several faculty members to be used in several different classes

Does the video need description?

In addition to the above considerations, videos can be prioritized based on the聽need聽for audio description.

To determine need, listen to the audio for portions of your video (if you have eyesight, close your eyes). Are there any important details that you’re missing? Rate the video using the following scale:

High need聽– Nothing makes sense with audio alone.
Medium need聽– The video is generally understandable, but critical details are lost.
Low need聽– Some information is lost, but it isn’t critical.

Audio Description in Panopto

Panopto uses timed text for audio description. Video owners can easily add audio description by typing a brief description of visual content, to be read aloud by the media player at the designated time in the video. The audio description is only read aloud if the user has enabled this feature on their media player. For additional information including instructions, see the Panopto help page on .

Audio Description in YouTube

YouTube supports audio description as an alternative audio track. This is the same method used to support audio tracks dubbed into different languages. To add audio description to YouTube videos, following these steps:

Record an alternative audio track that features the original audio, with accompanying聽 narration that describes on-screen visuals during natural pauses in the dialogue.
Upload the alternative audio track in YouTube Studio under the “Languages” section. For detailed instructions, see the YouTube help page on .

After you have added audio description to your video, users will be able to select the聽 described version from the Audio Track menu under Settings in the YouTube player.

NOTE: YouTube does not support extended audio description. The alternative audio track must be approximately the same duration as the original audio. If the video does not include enough gaps in the original audio to allow for descriptive narration to be inserted, you will need to create a separate audio described version of the video.

Audio Description in other media platforms

If your video is hosted in a platform other than Panopto or YouTube, or if your YouTube video requires extended audio description, the typical strategy for delivering audio description is to create a separate audio-described version of the video. Then, wherever the original video is provided, include a link to the audio-described version.

UW-IT Captioning and Audio Description Service

UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS) will caption and/or audio describe a limited number of UW videos without charge through a service supported by UW-IT. Individuals, departments, and other units at the UW are encouraged to apply for funding to caption highly-visible, high-impact, multiple-use, and/or strategic videos. Examples include:

Videos available to the public on a high-use website
Videos that will be used multiple times in a course
Videos developed by several faculty members to be used in several different classes

For additional information and to apply for this service, please see our聽Help听辫补驳别.

WCAG 2.1 success criteria

The issues described on this page, and associated Techniques pages, map to the following success criteria in the W3C’s :

(Level A)
(Level A)
(Level AA)

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