What is Audio description?
- Audio description is like alternative text for video. It's a narrative explanation of visual or nonverbal information. This is essential for people with visual impairments who may otherwise miss out on important information.
When should Audio description be added to a video or presentation?
- Audio descriptions should occur between the natural pauses in the original audio, such as between dialogue. The descriptions should enhance rather than detract from the existing content. Prioritize information based on the time available.
Why integrating audio description or narrative descriptions to videos and presentations is important?
Videos are full of visual information. For someone who can’t see the video, it can make for a very confusing experience.
To learn more about this accessibility best practice, review the following Microsoft Education videos:
- Integrated Audio Description: At a Glance (00:01:56 minutes)
- Audio Descriptions: At a Glance (00:02:03 minutes)
- Visual Descriptions: At a Glance (00:01:32 minutes)
Who will benefit from audio description?
- Individuals with low vision or blindness
- Individuals listening to content
- Individuals looking away from the screen to write notes while listening.
- Individuals seated in the back of the lecture hall or conference room.
- Individuals in a noisy environment train, bus, or want to listen to audio only during their communte to work or school.
- Individuals who learn best and benefit from seeing and hearing at the same time.
- Audio descriptions provide an opportunity for content creators to highlight and explain visual aspects of a video or presentation which may otherwise be missed or misunderstood.
- All individuals who either watch or listen will get more out of content.
How to get started with this best practice?
Always include a narrative as you build your content before production because audio description is still very expensive to be added pos-production.
Provide a text transcript of the video that includes both the audio and visual information. This provides the full content of the video for individuals with both hearing and visual impairments.
Start with a transcript based on any available captions, and then add a narrative of visual elements. The transcript should make sense when read independently of the video. Remember also to provide the transcript in an accessible format.
Additional Resources
- The Ultimate Guide to Audio Description, by 3PlayMedia.