Greater Lowell Technical High School Accessibility Quick Guides

Accessibility Quick Guides

Quick Start Accessibility by Content Type

Multimedia

Audio and video need equal access through text, sound, and controls. Captions, transcripts, audio description, and accessible playback controls are required, not optional.

Open Print Version (8.5 x 11)

Quick Focus

  • Every prerecorded video with audio needs accurate captions.
  • Provide transcripts for audio content and audio description when visuals carry key meaning.
  • Avoid flashing, unreadable overlays, and media that auto-plays without control.

Core Guidance

Do This First

  1. Caption and transcript first. Create accurate captions for video and a transcript for audio or video when users need the full spoken content in text.
  2. Describe visual meaning. If key actions or visuals are not explained in the soundtrack, add audio description or provide a clear text alternative.
  3. Check playback experience. Make sure controls work with a keyboard, contrast is strong, and media does not cause seizure risk or surprise audio.

Essential Checks

Caption Quality

  • Review auto-captions and fix names, technical terms, timing, and punctuation.
  • Include relevant non-speech sounds such as applause, music changes, or alerts when they affect meaning.
  • Keep captions in sync and readable instead of crowding each frame with text.

Transcripts and Description

  • Provide transcripts for podcasts, audio clips, and longer media.
  • Add audio description when important visual information is not spoken aloud.
  • Identify speakers when there are multiple voices or when off-screen narration matters.

Playback and Visuals

  • Provide pause, stop, and volume controls for media that plays longer than three seconds.
  • Keep burned-in text large enough, high-contrast, and on screen long enough to read.
  • Avoid flashing more than three times per second and reduce unnecessary motion when possible.

Common Problems to Catch

  • Publishing video with auto-captions that were never edited.
  • Depending on a visual demonstration that has no narration or descriptive equivalent.
  • Using tiny lower-third text or low-contrast captions over video.
  • Auto-playing audio that users cannot pause or mute quickly.

Key WCAG 2.1 AA Checkpoints

High-value checkpoints for multimedia work
Success Criterion What to confirm
SC 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)Prerecorded video with audio needs captions.
SC 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media AlternativeAt Level A, prerecorded video needs audio description or a full text alternative.
SC 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)At WCAG 2.1 AA, give audio description when visuals carry essential information.
SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)Text overlays and controls need enough contrast to stay readable.
SC 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below ThresholdAvoid flashing content that could trigger seizures.