- Success Criterion 1.2.1
- Conformance level A
Podcast Episode Published With No Transcript at All
1.2.1 — Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
Scenario
Setting
A bank's mobile money-transfer screen
What’s wrong
Podcast/audio clip published with no transcript at all.
Example
<!-- Transfer limits explainer, audio only, no transcript anywhere -->
<audio controls src="/audio/transfer-limits-explainer.mp3"></audio>
<p>Listen to learn about your daily transfer limit.</p> Why it matters
A user checking why their transfer was declined has to play a two-minute clip just to learn the daily limit, with no way to scan for the number if they can't hear it.
How to test
Search the page for a transcript link near every podcast/audio player: if none exists, it fails outright.
How to fix
Any standalone audio clip needs a published text transcript, not just captions on a video.
<audio controls src="/audio/transfer-limits-explainer.mp3"></audio>
<details>
<summary>Read transcript</summary>
<p>Your daily transfer limit is $2,500. Limits reset at midnight local time.</p>
</details> Outcome
A deaf customer in a quiet office reads the transcript and confirms their transfer limit in seconds.
Who is affected
Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers, and anyone in a bank lobby who can't play sound, have no way to get the limit information at all.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Audio Description File Left as a Filename, Not Real Text
- Long Description That Doesn’t Match What the Audio Actually Says
- Transcript Missing Speaker Names or Key Background Sounds
- Auto-Generated Transcript Too Inaccurate to Trust
- Silent Demo Video With No Transcript or Narration
- Transcript Link That’s Broken or Locked Behind a Login