Understanding the Legislation
The upcoming legislation requires all online content to be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes providing subtitles, audio descriptions, and ensuring that videos are compatible with screen readers. The goal is to make content inclusive for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
Why Accessibility Matters
- Wider Reach: By making your video content accessible, you open your brand to a larger audience, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, and physical impairments.
- Better SEO: Accessible content often performs better in search engines. Subtitles, transcripts, and detailed descriptions can improve your SEO rankings.
- Brand Image: Demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity enhances your brand’s reputation and fosters loyalty among consumers who value social responsibility.
- Legal Compliance: Ensuring your content is accessible helps you comply with laws and regulations.
Our Approach to Accessible Video Content
At Bold Content Video, we offer a comprehensive suite of services to ensure your video content meets accessibility standards. When creating accessible content we ensure compliance with WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
These guidelines are written to cover a wide range of online content creation so we’ve extracted the most salient points that brands need to be aware of when creating video content.
1. Subtitling and Closed Captions
High-quality subtitling and closed captions are necessary to ensure videos are accessible to those with hearing impairments. Our team ensures that captions are accurate and synced perfectly with the audio, providing a seamless viewing experience. Brands should ensure that all videos with speech or relevant sounds include accurate, synchronised captions. Captions should convey both dialogue and non-speech information, like sound effects or music cues important to understanding the video.
For live video, brands should provide real-time captions where necessary to accommodate viewers with hearing impairments.
2. Audio Descriptions
For visually impaired viewers, brands should offer audio descriptions that narrate the visual elements of videos. This helps to convey the full context of your content, making it accessible to those who rely on auditory information. Some video content might also require additional editing work to lengthen certain scenes. Narration that describes visual information, especially for complex visuals like infographics or demonstrations may take longer than the original scene’s length, therefore additional editing may be required to make the content accessible for all.
3. Transcriptions
Downloadable transcriptions can be linked to from video descriptions. Transcripts can provide a text version of all the spoken dialogue and audio cues in a video, allowing those who are deaf or hard of hearing to fully understand the content.
Descriptive transcripts include descriptions of all visual information like graphics, charts, actions, etc. in addition to the dialogue, enabling those who are blind or have low vision to comprehend the full context of the video.
Transcripts can be converted into accessible formats like braille or read aloud by screen readers.
Having content in text format allows users to consume it at their own pace, reread portions, and avoid missing any audio.
4. User-Friendly Design
Brands should adhere to the best practices in design to create videos that are easy to navigate. This includes using clear, high-contrast visuals and straightforward navigation, making your content accessible to users with cognitive impairments. Ensure that video titles, descriptions, and any other metadata are clear and descriptive to help users find and understand the content. Consider also using clear, descriptive headings or labels for videos to guide users efficiently. Avoid auto-playing videos or ensure that users can easily pause or stop the video to control the pace of information. Users should be able to control the video playback speed and take breaks if needed. This is particularly important for users with cognitive disabilities or learning disabilities.
When considering which player to use brands should ensure that all video controls (play, pause, volume, etc.) are accessible via the keyboard without requiring a mouse. Users with mobility disabilities often rely on keyboards or alternative input devices. Select a video player that supports accessibility features such as screen reader support, keyboard navigation, and proper labelling of controls.
5. Avoid Flashing Imagery
Avoid using video content with flashing or strobing effects to prevent seizures in users with photosensitive epilepsy. This can be difficult for video producers to balance because content needs to be attention grabbing which often requires fast-paced editing which may produce flashing. If flashing is necessary, ensure it is below the WCAG threshold for flashing. Luminance effects can be placed on bright frames to bring them within safe thresholds. The Harding test, also known as the Photosensitive Epilepsy (PSE) test, is used to detect visual stimuli that can trigger photosensitive epilepsy (PSE). The test is used in the U.K. broadcast, film, home entertainment, and gaming applications.
6. Testing and User Feedback
Brands should conduct accessibility testing with real users who have disabilities, or use automated accessibility testing tools. Gather feedback and make adjustments as needed.
A particular note for eLearning content creation is to consider that all viewers may not have the same cognitive abilities and scripts should be written to be as accessible as possible. Various readability tests are available to determine the reading age your audience should be at in order to understand your content. We recommend simplifying language as much as possible and always providing explanations for any jargon or industry specific terminology. During scenes where important information is being imparted by a speaker, it’s important that their mouths are clearly visible for anyone who wishes to lip read. This is important to consider when editing videos between A-cam and the B-camera which may be at a different angle. Profile shots, for example can be harder to follow than portrait shots for viewers lip-reading.
Aspects of our accessibility service for brands
- Expertise: Our team of experienced professionals is well-versed in the latest accessibility standards and techniques.
- Customisation: We tailor our services to meet the specific needs of your brand and audience.
- Quality: We prioritise quality and accuracy in every project, ensuring that your accessible content maintains the high standards your brand is known for.
Get Started Today
Ensuring your video content is accessible is not just about compliance; it’s about showing your audience that you care. Let Bold Content Video help you create content that everyone can enjoy. Contact us today to learn more about our accessibility services and how we can help you meet the upcoming legislative requirements.
Together, we can make your brand more inclusive.
Key Takeaway:
With the upcoming legislation, there’s no better time to start making your video content accessible. Reach out to Bold Content Video and let’s make your brand’s message clear and inclusive for all.
For more information, visit our website or contact our team directly.