Hi Elaine
The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Version 1.0 have a number
of Level A checkpoints when it comes to audio and video:
Checkpoint 1.1: Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element
(e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: ...
applets and programmatic objects, ... scripts, ... sounds (played with
or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of
video, and video.
Checkpoint 1.3: Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text
equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the
important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.
Checkpoint 1.4: For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a
movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions
or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.
Essentially these three checkpoints mean that you need to:
- provide an HTML transcript of the relevant file (Checkpoint 1.1)
- provide captions for a video file (Checkpoint 1.3)
- provide audio descriptions for a video file (Checkpoint 1.4)
1. Provide an HTML transcript of the file
This is pretty easy for audio files: just transcribe what was said and
who said it, along with any relevant background noise. With video files,
you also need to transcribe any actions or events in the video that are
relevant (eg. whether it is day or night, car accidents etc)
2. Provide captions for a video file
Captions are used for people that are deaf and should therefore include
not only what is said but also any noise that is relevant (eg. car
backfiring, gunshot etc). Captions are *not* subtitles: subtitles
interpret only spoken words. You can caption with MAGpie:
http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/magpie_help/install.html and they
also have some handy captioning instructions:
http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/magpie_help/#captioning as does
WebAIM: http://www.webaim.org/techniques/captions/magpie/version2/ The
University of Wisconsin has some information on merging captions with a
video file:
http://streaming.wisconsin.edu/accessibility/magpie_tutorial/quicktime.html
3. Provide audio descriptions
Audio descriptions are used by people that are blind and should
therefore describe, in full, what is visually seen in the video. You can
create audio descriptions with MAGpie and they also have instructions on
how to do so:
http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/magpie_help/#audiodescription Joe
Clark has also written some guidelines on providing audio descriptions:
http://joeclark.org/access/description/ad-principles.html Skills for
Access have some information on using MAGpie:
http://www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/howto.php?id=135 and providing audio
descriptions: http://www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/howto.php?id=104
I have some experience with HTML transcripts, captions and audio
descriptions. I am more than happy to help further.
Cheers,
Gian
Web Dandy Design wrote:
Hi,
I have a client who has asked for a website which will allow people to
upload and download audio and video files and host streaming videos.
Is there anything we need to put in place when the videos and audios are
being made to make them accessible?
What do I need to do to make the site as accessible as possible?
Can anyone point me to any resources on this or does anyone have any
expertise in this area and would like to get involved in the project?
Thanks,
Elaine
http://www.webdandy.co.uk
*******************************************************************
List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm
Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm
Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*******************************************************************
begin:vcard
fn:Gian Sampson-Wild
n:Sampson-Wild;Gian
org:Information Technology Services - Clayton Campus <br><img SRC="http://www.its.monash.edu.au/img/vcard/monlogo.gif"; ALT="Monash University" BORDER=0>;Web Resources Development
title:User Interface Design Team
version:2.1
end:vcard
![http://www.its.monash.edu.au/img/vcard/monlogo.gif"](http://www.its.monash.edu.au/img/vcard/monlogo.gif"){kind=link}