This document gives information about the related accessibility check:
Video element visual-only content has accessible alternative.
What
Video without audio must provide an accessible alternative.
When a video does not contain sound, it should be accompanied by a text description or have an alternative audio track available.
Why
It is important to provide a text description or alternative audio track for video content without sound because it ensures that the information conveyed visually is accessible to all users, including those who are blind or have low vision. When a video lacks audio, people who cannot see the visual content miss out on key information. By offering a descriptive audio track or a text-based alternative, you provide an equivalent experience for these users.
Additionally, text alternatives can be rendered in various formats, such as braille or sign language, making the content accessible to a wider range of individuals with different sensory or cognitive needs.
This check affects individuals with
Blindness: Who use screen readers to access the text version of the video content.
Cognitive impairments: Who benefit from choosing the format that best suits their needs.
User story
Fatima is a 33-year-old woman from Morocco who lost her sight at the age of 12 due to a degenerative eye condition. She works as a radio presenter for a local station in Casablanca focusing on social and cultural issues.
"It is incredibly frustrating when I come across video content on websites that has no audio and no text alternative. As someone who relies on sound to understand and engage with content, it is like hitting a brick wall. Just last week, I was preparing for a segment on youth unemployment in Morocco, and there was a video on a government website showing key statistics and graphs. But there was no narration, no transcript—nothing I could use. All of that information was locked behind visuals I could not access. It is not just about my job either. I love following Andalusian music and cultural trends, but when music tutorials or interviews with artists are just purely visual, I feel like I am missing out. It is exhausting having to ask for help every time, when something as simple as a text description would let me do it on my own. It is like they are saying that my ability to participate does not matter."
Examples
Example: Video with visual-only content and no accessible alternative
A government website provides a video that displays key statistics on youth unemployment using only visual elements like charts, graphs, and animations. The video contains no audio or accompanying text description, relying entirely on visuals to present the information.
This is a problem for blind users who do not have access to the information conveyed in the video. Without an alternative text description or audio track explaining the visual content, the information remains inaccessible to those who cannot see the video.
Example: Video with visual-only content and an accessible text alternative
A government website provides a video that displays key statistics on youth unemployment using only visual elements like charts, graphs, and animations. The video includes no audio, but underneath, there is an expandable text section that allows users to access the same information presented in the video as text or table data.
Blind or visually impaired users who rely on screen readers can easily navigate to the text section and receive the same information that sighted users get from the video. This ensures that users have access to the critical data, regardless of their ability to view the visual content.
How
How to review it?
The Web Governance platform highlights non-streaming video elements in the code.
Your task is to assess whether there is an accessible alternative to the visual video content. Ask yourself the following questions:
Does the video contain an audio track that describes the visual content?
Is there an alternative audio track available that describes the visual content?
Is there a text transcript or text alternative available that conveys the visual content in text?
Is the video only there to function as a media alternative to the text information on the page.
If you can answer "yes" to one of the questions above, you can mark this check as "reviewed." For further instructions, see the user guide article:
If you could not answer “yes” to the above, you will need to add a text or audio alternative to your video content before you can mark this issue as “reviewed.”
Video element visual-only content has accessible alternative
1.2.1 Audio-only and video-only (prerecorded)
Introduction
This document gives information about the related accessibility check:
Video element visual-only content has accessible alternative.
What
Video without audio must provide an accessible alternative.
When a video does not contain sound, it should be accompanied by a text description or have an alternative audio track available.
Why
It is important to provide a text description or alternative audio track for video content without sound because it ensures that the information conveyed visually is accessible to all users, including those who are blind or have low vision. When a video lacks audio, people who cannot see the visual content miss out on key information. By offering a descriptive audio track or a text-based alternative, you provide an equivalent experience for these users.
Additionally, text alternatives can be rendered in various formats, such as braille or sign language, making the content accessible to a wider range of individuals with different sensory or cognitive needs.
This check affects individuals with
Blindness: Who use screen readers to access the text version of the video content.
Cognitive impairments: Who benefit from choosing the format that best suits their needs.
User story
Fatima is a 33-year-old woman from Morocco who lost her sight at the age of 12 due to a degenerative eye condition. She works as a radio presenter for a local station in Casablanca focusing on social and cultural issues.
"It is incredibly frustrating when I come across video content on websites that has no audio and no text alternative. As someone who relies on sound to understand and engage with content, it is like hitting a brick wall. Just last week, I was preparing for a segment on youth unemployment in Morocco, and there was a video on a government website showing key statistics and graphs. But there was no narration, no transcript—nothing I could use. All of that information was locked behind visuals I could not access. It is not just about my job either. I love following Andalusian music and cultural trends, but when music tutorials or interviews with artists are just purely visual, I feel like I am missing out. It is exhausting having to ask for help every time, when something as simple as a text description would let me do it on my own. It is like they are saying that my ability to participate does not matter."
Examples
Example: Video with visual-only content and no accessible alternative
A government website provides a video that displays key statistics on youth unemployment using only visual elements like charts, graphs, and animations. The video contains no audio or accompanying text description, relying entirely on visuals to present the information.
This is a problem for blind users who do not have access to the information conveyed in the video. Without an alternative text description or audio track explaining the visual content, the information remains inaccessible to those who cannot see the video.
Example: Video with visual-only content and an accessible text alternative
A government website provides a video that displays key statistics on youth unemployment using only visual elements like charts, graphs, and animations. The video includes no audio, but underneath, there is an expandable text section that allows users to access the same information presented in the video as text or table data.
Blind or visually impaired users who rely on screen readers can easily navigate to the text section and receive the same information that sighted users get from the video. This ensures that users have access to the critical data, regardless of their ability to view the visual content.
How
How to review it?
The Web Governance platform highlights non-streaming video elements in the code.
Your task is to assess whether there is an accessible alternative to the visual video content. Ask yourself the following questions:
Does the video contain an audio track that describes the visual content?
Is there an alternative audio track available that describes the visual content?
Is there a text transcript or text alternative available that conveys the visual content in text?
Is the video only there to function as a media alternative to the text information on the page.
If you can answer "yes" to one of the questions above, you can mark this check as "reviewed." For further instructions, see the user guide article:
If you could not answer “yes” to the above, you will need to add a text or audio alternative to your video content before you can mark this issue as “reviewed.”
Web Governance