Audio Description – Accessibility Glossary
Understanding Audio Description
Audio description (AD) is an additional audio track that verbally describes visual information for blind or visually impaired people. It explains actions, facial expressions, locations and visual details that would be impossible to grasp without visual perception.
These descriptions take place during pauses in speech and complement the action without overlaying the original sound.
Where Audio Description is Used
- Films and series
- Television programs
- Live theater and operas
- Exhibitions and museums
Legal & Accessibility Importance
Audio description is a recognized standard for barrier-free communication. In Germany, it is required by law in many public media offerings (e.g. in accordance with BITV, EAA).
Benefits
- Strengthens inclusion in the media sector
- Facilitates access to cultural offerings
- Enables self-determined participation in society
Audio description makes films, videos and live events usable for people who cannot see the picture, or only partly. A narrator describes what is on screen – locations, facial expressions, gestures or on-screen text – in the gaps between dialogue and important sounds, so the story stays easy to follow without the image.
For websites this matters as soon as video is embedded. WCAG expects prerecorded video with visual information that is not covered by the sound track to offer either audio description or a text alternative. In practice that means an additional, selectable audio track in the player or a complete transcript right below the video. Plan the description while writing the script: many explanations can then be built into the spoken text itself, which noticeably reduces the effort.
As a rule of thumb, describe only what is needed to understand the content and keep the style factual and easy to speak. Test the version with blind or visually impaired people before publishing it, and point out the additional audio track clearly in the player.
For live streams audio description is considerably more demanding, which is why it is often offered only for selected formats. Check whether at least recorded contributions can be supplemented afterwards.
In short: Audio Description: Making Visual Media Accessible for All.
