Understanding:Success Criterion 1.2.6: Sign Language (Prerecorded)

The intent of this Success Criterion is to enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing and who are fluent in a sign language to understand the content of the audio track of synchronized media presentations. Written text, such as that found in captions, is often a second language. Because sign language provides the ability to provide intonation, emotion and other audio information that is reflected in sign language interpretation, but not in captions, sign language interpretation provides richer and more equivalent access to synchronized media. People who communicate extensively in sign language are also faster in sign language and synchronized media is a time-based presentation.

• People whose human language is a sign language sometimes have limited reading ability. These individuals may not be able to read and comprehend the captions and thus require a sign language interpretation to gain access to the synchronized media content.

• Example 1. A corporation is making an important announcement to all of its employees. The meeting will be held in the main headquarters and streamed to the Web. A sign language interpreter is provided at the meeting location. The live video includes a full view of the sign language interpreter as well as the person presenting.
• Example 2. The same announcement described in example 1 is also Webcast to remote employees. Since there is only one display available for this, the sign language interpreter is shown in the corner of the display.
• Example 3. A university is providing an on-line version of a particular lecture by creating a synchronized media presentation of the professor delivering the lecture. The presentation includes video of the professor speaking and demonstrating a science experiment. A sign language interpretation of the lecture is created and presented on the Web with the synchronized media version.

Resources are for information purposes only, no endorsement implied.

• Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) 1.0
• Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 2.0)
• Accessibility Features of SMIL
• NCAM Rich Media Accessibility, Accessible SMIL Templates
• National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders: Information on American Sign Language
• Techniques for filming sign language interpreters
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)

Each numbered item in this section represents a technique or combination of techniques that the WCAG Working Group deems sufficient for meeting this Success Criterion. However, it is not necessary to use these particular techniques. For information on using other techniques, see Understanding Techniques for WCAG Success Criteria, particularly the "Other Techniques" section.