This document provides information about the related accessibility (glossary term, activate to view definition) check:
Does prerecorded time-based media have an accessible alternative?
What
Video must provide an alternative for time-based media.
Note
An alternative for time-based media is a text explanation that details everything that happens in the video or audio in the correct order. It also includes ways to interact with the information as if you were watching or listening.
Why
The purpose of media alternatives is to make videos accessible to people who cannot reliably see captions or hear audio. Provide alternatives so that individuals with limited vision and limited hearing can understand and engage with the content.
Who
This check affects individuals with
Deaf-blindness: These users can access text through a refreshable braille display.
Visual impairments: These users may have difficulty seeing captions or visual elements in videos and often use screen readers to access text descriptions.
Hearing impairments: These users may struggle to hear dialogue or audio cues in videos and benefit from text-based alternatives or descriptions in order to follow along.
User story
Johan van Dijk is a 56-year-old man from Rotterdam, Netherlands. He previously worked as a software consultant specializing in information systems for logistics companies, but had to retire early due to a genetic condition that has led to significant vision and hearing loss. Johan now relies heavily on a Braille display for reading and staying connected digitally. His resilient spirit, Dutch pragmatism, and sense of humor remain intact, even as he adapts to new ways of interacting with the world.
"Keeping up with video content has become near impossible. When you can hardly see or hear, video feels like a door that is locked shut. But then I came across this documentary series about Dutch history, something right up my alley. And they had added extended descriptions in text. I read everything on my Braille display: not only did I get the historical facts, but the subtle things too, like a narrator’s expression when he described an ancient battle or the atmosphere in an old marketplace. It is fantastic. It was like I could *feel* the story through my fingers. If more content had this level of detail, it would open up a whole world I thought I had lost."
Examples
This section provides an example of the issue.
Example: Alternative for time-based media
The example shows how two scenes from a documentary about Dutch trade history can be described in text so that the video’s visuals and sounds are also captured as much as possible through text, including timestamps. This way, people with both visual and hearing impairments can access the documentary's content by reading the text.
2:01 - 3:30: Marketplace in Utrecht The bustling marketplace in Utrecht is alive with color and sound, brimming with people in traditional 17th-century Dutch attire. The early morning sun casts a warm glow over the square, illuminating the marketplace with a soft, golden light. Brightly colored fabric tents—reds, blues, and yellows—dot the area, their canopies flapping gently in the breeze. Each stall is filled with fresh vegetables stacked in neat, vibrant piles; leafy greens, plump carrots, and baskets overflowing with ripe, red apples create a striking contrast against the weathered wooden stands.
A blacksmith stands at a forge near the market's edge, hammering rhythmically on a piece of glowing hot metal, the sharp clangs ringing out across the square. Sparks fly with each strike, illuminating his face in brief, fiery bursts. Beside him, a group of women in bonnets and simple dresses chatter animatedly, bargaining over the price of fresh fish and large, round loaves of bread. The sound of their laughter mingles with the ambient noise of the market—vendors calling out prices, children weaving through the crowds, and the murmur of bartering voices blending in a harmonious yet chaotic chorus.
The clatter of horse hooves echoes off the cobblestone as carts roll by, each loaded with farm goods: stacked barrels, burlap sacks filled with grain, and freshly cut hay. The rich, earthy smells of soil, leather, and fresh produce fill the air, mixed with the faint, smoky scent wafting from the blacksmith’s forge. Occasional gusts of wind carry the scent of nearby canals and fields, grounding the scene in the rural, agrarian atmosphere of the period.
3:31 - 4:45: Auction house in a Dutch city Inside a dimly lit auction room, heavy with the scent of polished wood and aged paper, elegantly dressed men gather to bid on rare and luxurious items. The room is paneled in dark oak, lending a hushed, intimate atmosphere, with walls covered in portraits of wealthy Dutch patrons. Shadows from candle sconces flicker across the walls, casting a warm, amber glow over the room.
An auctioneer stands at a raised platform, holding a gavel, his voice steady and commanding as he introduces each item—a Chinese porcelain vase with intricate blue-and-white patterns, an Italian painting in an ornate gilded frame. His voice fills the room, measured and formal, yet hinting at urgency as he lists the starting prices. Well-dressed men, many wearing dark, tailored coats and cravats, sit attentively, their eyes fixed on each item, fingers lightly tapping on their knees in anticipation.
Soft whispers ripple through the audience as buyers confer in low tones, strategizing and debating their bids. When a bid is accepted, there is a brief, polite round of applause, and the clink of fine glassware as a servant discreetly pours wine into small, delicate glasses. The light filters in from narrow windows high on the walls, casting slender beams that accentuate the room's grandeur, emphasizing the solemnity and exclusivity of the auction. The combination of muted applause, murmured voices, and the occasional, subtle clink of glasses highlights the quiet intensity of this refined social scene, rooted in ambition and wealth.
How
This section provides instructions on how to identify and review this issue.
How to identify it
The Web Governance platform highlights non-streaming video elements in the code.
How to review it
Check if there is an alternative provided for the video.
Determine if there is a detailed text description on the video’s page that fully explains both the visuals and sounds of the video, including timing information. This description might be on the same page as the video or available through a link close to the video.
If you find that such an alternative is provided, mark this issue as Reviewed.
Does prerecorded time-based media have an accessible alternative?
1.2.8 Media alternative (prerecorded)
Introduction
This document provides information about the related accessibility (glossary term, activate to view definition) check:
Does prerecorded time-based media have an accessible alternative?
What
Video must provide an alternative for time-based media.
Note
An alternative for time-based media is a text explanation that details everything that happens in the video or audio in the correct order. It also includes ways to interact with the information as if you were watching or listening.
Why
The purpose of media alternatives is to make videos accessible to people who cannot reliably see captions or hear audio. Provide alternatives so that individuals with limited vision and limited hearing can understand and engage with the content.
Who
This check affects individuals with
Deaf-blindness: These users can access text through a refreshable braille display.
Visual impairments: These users may have difficulty seeing captions or visual elements in videos and often use screen readers to access text descriptions.
Hearing impairments: These users may struggle to hear dialogue or audio cues in videos and benefit from text-based alternatives or descriptions in order to follow along.
User story
Johan van Dijk is a 56-year-old man from Rotterdam, Netherlands. He previously worked as a software consultant specializing in information systems for logistics companies, but had to retire early due to a genetic condition that has led to significant vision and hearing loss. Johan now relies heavily on a Braille display for reading and staying connected digitally. His resilient spirit, Dutch pragmatism, and sense of humor remain intact, even as he adapts to new ways of interacting with the world.
"Keeping up with video content has become near impossible. When you can hardly see or hear, video feels like a door that is locked shut. But then I came across this documentary series about Dutch history, something right up my alley. And they had added extended descriptions in text. I read everything on my Braille display: not only did I get the historical facts, but the subtle things too, like a narrator’s expression when he described an ancient battle or the atmosphere in an old marketplace. It is fantastic. It was like I could *feel* the story through my fingers. If more content had this level of detail, it would open up a whole world I thought I had lost."
Examples
This section provides an example of the issue.
Example: Alternative for time-based media
The example shows how two scenes from a documentary about Dutch trade history can be described in text so that the video’s visuals and sounds are also captured as much as possible through text, including timestamps. This way, people with both visual and hearing impairments can access the documentary's content by reading the text.
2:01 - 3:30: Marketplace in Utrecht The bustling marketplace in Utrecht is alive with color and sound, brimming with people in traditional 17th-century Dutch attire. The early morning sun casts a warm glow over the square, illuminating the marketplace with a soft, golden light. Brightly colored fabric tents—reds, blues, and yellows—dot the area, their canopies flapping gently in the breeze. Each stall is filled with fresh vegetables stacked in neat, vibrant piles; leafy greens, plump carrots, and baskets overflowing with ripe, red apples create a striking contrast against the weathered wooden stands.
A blacksmith stands at a forge near the market's edge, hammering rhythmically on a piece of glowing hot metal, the sharp clangs ringing out across the square. Sparks fly with each strike, illuminating his face in brief, fiery bursts. Beside him, a group of women in bonnets and simple dresses chatter animatedly, bargaining over the price of fresh fish and large, round loaves of bread. The sound of their laughter mingles with the ambient noise of the market—vendors calling out prices, children weaving through the crowds, and the murmur of bartering voices blending in a harmonious yet chaotic chorus.
The clatter of horse hooves echoes off the cobblestone as carts roll by, each loaded with farm goods: stacked barrels, burlap sacks filled with grain, and freshly cut hay. The rich, earthy smells of soil, leather, and fresh produce fill the air, mixed with the faint, smoky scent wafting from the blacksmith’s forge. Occasional gusts of wind carry the scent of nearby canals and fields, grounding the scene in the rural, agrarian atmosphere of the period.
3:31 - 4:45: Auction house in a Dutch city Inside a dimly lit auction room, heavy with the scent of polished wood and aged paper, elegantly dressed men gather to bid on rare and luxurious items. The room is paneled in dark oak, lending a hushed, intimate atmosphere, with walls covered in portraits of wealthy Dutch patrons. Shadows from candle sconces flicker across the walls, casting a warm, amber glow over the room.
An auctioneer stands at a raised platform, holding a gavel, his voice steady and commanding as he introduces each item—a Chinese porcelain vase with intricate blue-and-white patterns, an Italian painting in an ornate gilded frame. His voice fills the room, measured and formal, yet hinting at urgency as he lists the starting prices. Well-dressed men, many wearing dark, tailored coats and cravats, sit attentively, their eyes fixed on each item, fingers lightly tapping on their knees in anticipation.
Soft whispers ripple through the audience as buyers confer in low tones, strategizing and debating their bids. When a bid is accepted, there is a brief, polite round of applause, and the clink of fine glassware as a servant discreetly pours wine into small, delicate glasses. The light filters in from narrow windows high on the walls, casting slender beams that accentuate the room's grandeur, emphasizing the solemnity and exclusivity of the auction. The combination of muted applause, murmured voices, and the occasional, subtle clink of glasses highlights the quiet intensity of this refined social scene, rooted in ambition and wealth.
How
This section provides instructions on how to identify and review this issue.
How to identify it
The Web Governance platform highlights non-streaming video elements in the code.
How to review it
Check if there is an alternative provided for the video.
Determine if there is a detailed text description on the video’s page that fully explains both the visuals and sounds of the video, including timing information. This description might be on the same page as the video or available through a link close to the video.
If you find that such an alternative is provided, mark this issue as Reviewed.
Web Governance