• Success Criterion 1.2.5
  • Conformance level AA

Audio Description That Skips Essential On-Screen Actions

1.2.5 — Audio Description (Prerecorded)

Scenario

Setting

A music streaming app's playlist screen

What’s wrong

audio description track exists but omits essential visuals (text on screen, who entered the scene, actions that change meaning).

Example 

<video src="/videos/single-release-visualizer.mp4" controls>
  <!-- AD track describes color palette and camera angles, but never
       mentions the featured artist walking into frame at 1:42, or the
       on-screen text revealing the album title -->
  <track kind="descriptions" src="/videos/single-release-ad.vtt" srclang="en" label="Audio description">
</video>

Why it matters

A blind listener browsing this playlist listens for who's featured on the track, but the audio description only talks about colors and camera angles, never the guest artist appearing on screen.

How to test

Play the AD track and compare to the video: if it omits on-screen text, who enters/exits a scene, or other essential visual actions, it fails.

How to fix

Audio description has to cover the visual details that change meaning, like who appears and what on-screen text says, not just mood and cinematography.

<video src="/videos/single-release-visualizer.mp4" controls>
  <track kind="descriptions" src="/videos/single-release-ad.vtt" srclang="en" label="Audio description">
</video>
<!-- Updated cue at 1:42: "Featured artist Jamie Cole walks into frame
     for the second verse. On-screen text reveals the album title:
     Midnight Static." -->

Outcome

A blind listener learns exactly who's featured on the track and the upcoming album's name.

Who is affected

Blind and low-vision listeners relying on the description track miss the collaboration reveal and the on-screen album title that sighted viewers immediately notice.

Learn more

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