Sign Language¶

Introduction¶

This document gives information about the related Acquia Optimize checks:

• Sign Language (Prerecorded)

What¶

Prerecorded videos with sound must include sign language interpretation for the audio.

Why¶

Sign language interpretation in video makes content more accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and fluent in sign language. Captions may not fully convey important details like emotion and tone, which are key parts of the audio. Many native sign language users find sign language easier and faster to understand than reading captions, especially for time-based media.

This check affects individuals with¶

• Hearing impairments: Individuals who are fluent in sign language can receive a more accurate conveyance of the audio content.

User story¶

Mei-Ling is a 41-year-old woman originally from Chengdu, China, now living in Brighton, England. She works as a ceramic artist and runs her own studio. Mei-Ling became deaf as a teenager due to an illness and uses both British Sign Language (BSL) and written communication to interact with her clients and manage her business.

"I am truly grateful that so many BBC broadcasts come with sign language interpretation. It makes me feel like someone is actually considering my needs, making it easier for me to follow along. But I notice the difference even more on those occasions when the interpretation is suddenly missing from a program that usually has it. It just takes so much more energy to keep up with the subtitles and switch between reading and watching, and it’s just not the same. When there is sign language interpretation, everything flows more naturally, and I understand it all so much better. It genuinely makes a big difference in my daily life."

Examples¶

Example – Video with sign language interpretation¶

In this example, a sports news broadcast summarizes the highlights of a tennis match. The video footage is accompanied by sign language interpretation.

How¶

How to review it?¶

The Acquia Optimize platform highlights non-streaming video elements in the code.

Review the video to ensure that it provides sign language interpretation. This can either appear as a smaller window directly within the video or as an option to open a separate window where the sign language interpretation occurs in sync with the video.

If you confirm that the video offers sign language interpretation, you can mark the video as "reviewed."

For further information see How to review an accessibility issue

Additional resources¶

WCAG success criteria¶

1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded)