Proposals from Cynthia, Paul, and Wendy

Checkpoint 1.2 Provide synchronized media equivalents for time-dependent presentations.

Success criteria

You will have successfully met Checkpoint 1.2 at the Minimum Level if:
  1. an audio description is provided of all visual information in scenes, actions and events (that can't be perceived from the sound track).
    • The audio description should include all significant visual information in scenes, actions and events (that can't be perceived from the sound track) is provided to the extent possible given the constraints posed by the existing audio track (and constraints on freezing the audio/visual program to insert additional auditory description).
  2. all significant dialogue and sounds are captioned.
  3. descriptions and captions are synchronized with the events they represent.
  4. if web content is real-time video with audio, real-time captions are provided unless the content:
    • is an advertisement less than 5 minutes long,
    • is primarily textual,
    • is a music program that is primarily non-vocal
  5. if web content is real-time non-interactive video (e.g. a webcam of ambient conditions), ensure that the user can achieve the author's intended purpose. If the author's purpose is to provide real-time information, provide a media equivalent that conforms to checkpoint 1.1, or provide a link to content elsewhere which conforms to checkpoint 1.1 (e.g. a link to a weather web site).
  6. if web content is real-time audio-only, if not time-sensitive (news, emergency..etc.), provide a transcript or other non-audio equivalent sufficient.
  7. if a pure audio or pure video presentation requires a user to respond interactively at specific times in the presentation, then a time-synchronized equivalant (audio, visual or text) presentation is provided.
You will have successfully met Checkpoint 1.2 at Level 2 if:
  1. The site has a statement asserting that the audio description has been reviewed and it is believed to include all significant visual information in scenes, actions and events (that can't be perceived from the sound track) is provided to the extent possible given the constraints posed by the existing audio track (and constraints on freezing the audio/visual program to insert additional auditory description).
  2. Captions and Audio descriptions are provided for all live broadcasts that are professionally produced.
  3. if web content is an interactive audio-only presentation, provide the ability to view only the captions, the captions with the audio, or both together.
You will have successfully met Checkpoint 1.2 at Level 3 if:
  1. A text "script" that includes all audio and visual information is provided.
  2. Captions and Audio descriptions are provided for all live broadcasts which provide the same information.
The following are additional ideas for enhancing a site along this particular dimension:

Definitions (informative)

A time-dependent presentation is a presentation which

Media equivalents present essential audio information visually (captions) and essential video information auditorily (audio descriptions).

Benefits (informative)

People who are deaf or have a hearing loss can access the auditory information through the captions. People who are blind or have low vision as well as those with cognitive disabilities who have difficulty interpreting visually what is happening benefit from the audio descriptions of the visual information.

People without disabilities also benefit from the media equivalents. People in noisy environments or with muted sound often use captions. Captions are used by many to develop language and reading skills. Audio descriptions also provide visual information for people who are temporarily looking away from the video presentation such as when following an instructional video and looking at their hands. Captions and text descriptions can also be used to index and search media files.

Note:Time-dependent presentations that require dual, simultaneous attention with a single sense can present significant barriers to some users. Depending on the nature of the of presentation, it may be possible to avoid scenarios where, for example, a deaf user would be required to watch an action on the screen and read the captions at the same time. However, this would not be achievable for live broadcasts (ex. a football game). Where possible, provide content so that it does not require dual, simultaneous attention or so that it gives the user the ability to effectively control/pause different media signals.

Examples (informative)