What Is an Audio Description and Why Is It Required for ADA Compliance?

Introduction

Audio description is a narration track that describes important visual elements of a video, such as actions, scene changes, on-screen text, and gestures, for people who are blind or have low vision.

Simply put, it fills in the visual gaps that captions and spoken dialogue alone can't provide.

As schools, government agencies, and organizations increasingly rely on video to communicate, ensuring that video content is accessible is both essential and legally required. Under ADA Title II and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, providing audio description for applicable video content is part of meeting compliance standards.

In this post, we'll explore what audio description is, why it is required for ADA Title II compliance, and how your organization can implement it efficiently with ViddyScribe.

What Is an Audio Description?

Without audio description, blind students wouldn't know what the instructor is referencing. An audio description (sometimes called video description or descriptive narration) is a separate audio track or integrated narration that describes key visual content in a video.

For example, an audio description might narrate:

• "A banner reading 'City Council Meeting, June 3' appears on the screen."
• "A student raises her hand during the discussion."
• Example: "The instructor points to the chemical formula on the whiteboard."

Without this description, a blind person wouldn't know what's happening in this scene. Audio descriptions typically play during natural pauses in dialogue to avoid interfering with existing audio. ViddyScribe's AI technology is specifically designed to identify these natural pauses and place descriptions appropriately.

Common use cases for audio description:

• Government agency videos (public service announcements, training content, public meetings)
• Educational videos used in K-12 or higher education settings
• Online courses and e-learning modules
• Corporate videos shared with employees or the public
• Museum exhibit videos and public media

Why Is Audio Description Required Under ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1?

ADA Title II

ADA Title II requires that state and local governments, including public schools and public universities, provide equal access to programs, services, and communications for people with disabilities.

When video is used as a means of communication, failing to provide audio description excludes blind and low-vision users. This can result in non-compliance with ADA Title II, triggering legal risk and violating civil rights obligations.

Official ADA guidance on Title II and digital accessibility is available at ADA.gov.

WCAG 2.1

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, which the U.S. Department of Justice references in ADA Title II enforcement, provide clear criteria:

• Success Criterion 1.2.5 (Audio Description - Pre-recorded): For all pre-recorded video content, audio description must be provided if visual information is necessary to understand the content.

This means captions alone are not sufficient if the video contains essential visual information. ViddyScribe's pricing plans are designed to make meeting these requirements affordable for organizations of all sizes.

How to Add Audio Descriptions to Videos

Adding audio description typically involves these steps:

1. Script the audio description

   Write a narration script that describes essential visual elements of the video.

2. Record the audio

   Record the narration using a professional voice actor or text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis.

3. Mix the track

   Integrate the audio description into the video (either as an alternate audio track or as part of a fully mixed version).

4. Example:

   "A woman in a red dress walks into a sunlit office. She places her briefcase on the desk and gazes out the window at the city skyline."

5. Export a VTT file (optional)

   For web videos, provide a VTT file containing the text of the audio description, which can be used by accessible video players.

6. Test for accessibility

   Verify that your video player allows users to access and control audio description as needed.

ViddyScribe streamlines this entire process by automating steps 1-4, making it significantly faster and more cost-effective to add audio descriptions to your videos.

How Automated Tools Like ViddyScribe Can Help Organizations Meet This Requirement

Creating audio description manually can be costly and time-intensive, especially for large video libraries. This presents a real challenge for many government agencies, schools, and production teams working to achieve ADA Title II compliance.

ViddyScribe helps by automating key parts of this process:

• Uses AI to analyze video and generate accurate audio description narration.
• Outputs VTT files that can be easily added to websites or video players.
• Supports batch processing for large video libraries, ideal for government agencies and educational institutions.
• Simple, user-friendly interface that empowers internal teams to manage ADA Title II video compliance in-house.

By adopting tools like ViddyScribe, organizations can significantly reduce the time and cost required to add audio description while ensuring videos meet legal requirements.

Conclusion

Audio description is an essential component of video accessibility and a clear requirement under ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1.

If your school, government agency, or organization is striving to make video content inclusive and compliant, adding audio description is a necessary step. And with modern tools like ViddyScribe, it's now faster and more affordable than ever.

Ready to get started? Contact us or try ViddyScribe to learn more.

FAQ

What's the difference between captions and audio description?
Captions provide text versions of spoken dialogue and relevant sound cues, while audio description narrates visual content for users who cannot see the screen.

Who needs audio description for compliance?
Under ADA Title II, state and local government agencies and public schools/universities must provide audio description for video content containing essential visual information.

Does ADA Title II require audio description for all videos?
If you're creating videos for a government agency, educational institution, or any organization covered by ADA Title II, audio description is not optional.

Can automated audio description meet ADA compliance?
Yes, as long as the audio description meets functional requirements (clear, accurate, complete). Many agencies now use AI tools like ViddyScribe to help meet these standards efficiently.

Q: Isn't audio description expensive and time-consuming?
A: Traditionally, yes. But with AI-powered tools like ViddyScribe, you can now create high-quality audio descriptions in minutes at a fraction of the traditional cost.

How do I add audio description to an online video?
You can upload a VTT file with the audio description to your video player or add a separate audio description track, depending on your platform. ViddyScribe makes this process simple by generating ready-to-use VTT files.