Video and Audio Accessibility: Closed Captions (WCAG 1.2.2), Audio Descriptions & WebVTT
Master video and audio accessibility under WCAG 2.2. Learn how to author WebVTT closed captions, provide audio descriptions, and build accessible media players.
Video and audio content are essential for marketing, customer onboarding, product demonstrations, and education. Under **WCAG 2.2 Guideline 1.2 (Time-Based Media)**, websites must provide synchronized closed captions, accurate text transcripts, and audio descriptions to ensure that deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, and visually impaired users have equal access to multimedia information.
Unedited, automated AI speech-to-text captions (e.g. default YouTube auto-captions) frequently contain inaccuracies and lack speaker identification or sound effects, failing WCAG 1.2.2 compliance audits.
WCAG 2.2 Guidelines for Time-Based Media (1.2.1 - 1.2.5)
| WCAG Criterion | Level | Requirement | Media Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2.1 Audio-only / Video-only | Level A | Provide a text transcript for podcasts or audio tracks. | Prerecorded Audio |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | Level A | Provide synchronized closed captions with speaker IDs. | Prerecorded Video |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative | Level A | Provide narration of key visual actions or a full text script. | Prerecorded Video |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | Level AA | Provide an audio description track describing visual actions. | Prerecorded Video |
Closed Captions vs Subtitles vs Auto-Captions
Closed captions (CC) differ from standard translation subtitles: captions include non-speech audio cues (e.g., *[applause]*, *[suspenseful music]*, *[door slams]*) and speaker identification.
Authoring Accurate WebVTT Caption Files
WEBVTT - Rogabot Product Walkthrough
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.500
<v Sarah>Welcome to Rogabot, the automated accessibility compliance platform.</v>
00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:09.000
<v Sarah>Today we will inspect our website against WCAG 2.2 Level AA.</v>
[upbeat electronic music playing]Implementing Audio Descriptions & Full Text Transcripts
Always provide a collapsable text transcript directly below the video player, allowing users to read the full script and jump to specific timestamps.
Accessible HTML5 Video Player Architecture
<!-- Accessible HTML5 Video Player -->
<video controls preload="metadata" poster="https://rogabot.com/assets/og-image.jpg">
<source src="https://rogabot.com/assets/demo.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<track kind="captions" src="https://rogabot.com/assets/captions-en.vtt" srclang="en" label="English Captions" default>
<track kind="descriptions" src="https://rogabot.com/assets/descriptions-en.vtt" srclang="en" label="Audio Description">
Your browser does not support HTML5 video. <a href="https://rogabot.com/articles/index.html">Read the full transcript here</a>.
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