Studies have shown that a large majority of social media videos—often cited as over 80%—are watched without sound. Or that more than a billion people around the world have some type of disability.
These statistics highlight something really important for content creators, marketers, educators, and video producers – if your video isn’t accessible, you could be excluding a massive portion of your audience.
Video accessibility means making content that is usable for people with some type of disability. This might be an auditory, visual, or cognitive disability. While accessibility certainly supports compliance with standards like WCAG, the real purpose is creating an inclusive experience. Accessibility also improves the overall user experience, boosts SEO, and protects against legal risk.
Accessibility is no longer a niche feature – it’s a part of having the best quality content. Because of this, it’s important to understand the core elements of accessible videos. Here, we will focus on captions, audio descriptions (AD), and transcripts.
When you master these elements, it ensures that your videos reach the widest possible audience, and it shows a commitment to inclusivity and professional excellence.
II. The Essential Foundation: Captions
Why Captions Matter
In general, captions are typically the first step to creating an accessible video. They are critical for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences and fulfill the WCAG 2.1 Level A requirement for pre-recorded media.
It’s more than that, though. Captions can help those who are in a noisy environment, too, such as commuters on public transit, employees in quiet offices, or students watching in a shared space. Additionally, captions help to support global reach by helping non-native speakers follow along more easily.
Best Practices for High-Quality Captions
Here are some best practices to follow with captions in video content:
- Accuracy is not negotiable – Auto-generated captions can be a helpful starting point, but they are often not accurate. Professional captions meet a standard of 99% accuracy, which is best practice. This ensures that dialogue, speaker identification, and sound cues are correctly represented.
- Beyond dialogue – In addition to dialogue, captions should include non-speech information to fully convey the context of the video. Use parentheses or brackets for ambient sounds and music cues. For instance, you can use things like [Laughter], [Ominous Music], or [Doorbell Ringing]. This offers context for those who cannot see the action unfolding.
- Synchronization and timing – Captions should appear in sync with the audio and stay on the screen long enough to be read. Poor timing can both confuse and frustrate viewers, which defeats the purpose of accessibility.
- Closed vs. open captions – Closed captions, CC, allow viewers to toggle them on and off, which gives them control over their experience. Open captions are always visible. This may be intrusive in some cases, so closed captions are often recommended in most cases.
III. Bridging the Visual Gap: Audio Description (AD)
Why Audio Description Matters
Audio description is very important for viewers who are blind or those who have low vision. It is a separate narration track that describes the key visual information not already shared through dialogue. AD ensures that all viewers understand what is happening on screen, including actions, facial expressions, graphs, charts, and scene changes.
What to Describe (and When)
Here are some things that should be included in audio description:
- Crucial visuals – Focus on elements that are necessary for understanding, including on-screen text, body language, and critical graphics. For example, “The chart shows a 20% growth in Q3” or “She nods definitively.”
- Timing – Audio descriptions must fit into natural pauses in music and dialogue. Avoid describing overessential audio, which could make spoken content unclear.
- Integrated vs Separate AD – Integrated AD is best practice. This is when the script naturally includes a description of the visuals. Separate AD (Extended), is necessary if the natural pauses are not sufficient. This requires the video to pause momentarily while the description plays. This ensures the content is fully understandable without compromising the original audio.
IV. The Underrated Text Asset: Transcripts
Transcripts vs. Captions
A transcription is a text version of the video’s content that is not synchronized. It’s often placed beneath the video player. Unlike captions, transcripts are not time-coded, and they allow users to read the content at their own pace.
Benefits of a Descriptive Transcript
- Accessibility – Transcripts help support users who are both deaf and blind, or those who have cognitive disabilities. It helps them to consume content in a structured and readable format.
- SEO powerhouse – Search engines can’t “watch” videos, but they can read transcripts. By including a full transcript that is filled with keywords, your content will become highly discoverable, which will improve organic search performance. In turn, you will get more traffic to your site.
- Usability – Transcripts allow all users the ability to search for specific sections quickly. This saves time when compared to scrubbing through video. They are also very valuable for academic and corporate training content, where it’s common to reference or quote video content.
V. Pre-Production & Player Best Practices
Planning Ahead
It’s important to address accessibility during the scripting phase. This allows integrated AD to be incorporated naturally. Early planning prevents costly changes following production.
Visual Clarity
Visual clarity is also important. On-screen text, graphics, and captions need sufficient color contrast (WCAG 4.5:1 minimum) and should be legible. Avoid any strobe or flashing effects that can trigger seizures or cognitive discomfort.
The Player Experience
- Use accessible media players, such as those in YouTube, Vimeo, or HTML5. These allow users to toggle captions, adjust the volume, and control playback.
- No auto-play. Videos should never automatically start with sound. This also gives users control over when and how they engage with your content.
VI. Conclusion: Accessibility as a Strategic Advantage
Accessible videos offer ethical, legal, and business benefits. By adding captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts, creators can expand their audience, enhance the user experience, and improve SEO performance.
The bottom line is this: accessible content is better content. It ensures that your message has the ability to reach everyone – regardless of ability, environment, or device. It also demonstrates your commitment to quality and inclusion.
Start auditing your existing video library today, prioritizing highly-viewed content and new releases. Every step toward accessibility strengthens your brand, broadens your impact, and future-proofs your content strategy.
