- Success Criterion 1.2.1
- Conformance level A
Show Notes Presented as if They Were a Real Transcript
1.2.1 — Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
Scenario
Setting
A hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler
What’s wrong
Waveform-only audio player where the "transcript" is just show notes/summary, not equivalent content.
Example
<audio src="podcast.mp3"></audio>Why it matters
Deaf people who need transcripts of audio-only media, and blind people who need alternatives to silent video.
How to test
Compare the 'transcript' content to the actual audio: if it's really just show notes or a summary rather than what was said, it fails equivalence.
How to fix
A complete, accurate transcript (or an equivalent audio track for video-only media) must be provided and linked right next to the media.
<audio src="podcast.mp3"></audio><a href="podcast-transcript.html">Read the transcript</a>A text transcript gives Deaf users the same content the audio carries, with no video/audio dependency.
Outcome
On a hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler, this barrier is gone for deaf people who need transcripts of audio-only media — they can finish what they came here to do.
Who is affected
Deaf people who need transcripts of audio-only media, and blind people who need alternatives to silent video.
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
- Podcast Episode Published With No Transcript at All
- Transcript Missing Speaker Names or Key Background Sounds
- Auto-Generated Transcript Too Inaccurate to Trust
- Silent Demo Video With No Transcript or Narration