Why accessibility matters
Accessibility ensures your content can be experienced by the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. Beyond being the right thing to do, accessible content reaches more viewers and often performs better overall.
Captions help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they also benefit people watching in noisy environments, non-native speakers, and anyone who prefers to read along. Clear visual design helps people with low vision, but it also improves the experience on mobile devices and in challenging lighting conditions.
Building accessibility into your workflow from the start is easier than retrofitting it later. The following guidelines will help you create content that works for everyone.
Audio accessibility
For video content, start with captions for all spoken dialogue and important sound effects. Captions make your content accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and they improve comprehension for everyone.
Auto-generated captions are a starting point, but they often contain errors - especially with technical terms, names, or accented speech. Always review and correct captions manually for accuracy and timing. Poorly synced or inaccurate captions can be more frustrating than no captions at all.
For content that relies heavily on audio (narration, dialogue, or sound-driven storytelling) consider providing a transcript as a supplementary resource. Transcripts are useful for viewers who prefer reading, those using screen readers, and anyone who wants to reference your content later.
- Add captions for all spoken content
- Include important sound effects in captions (e.g., [door slams], [music playing])
- Review auto-generated captions for accuracy
- Sync captions properly with audio
- Consider providing a full transcript for dialogue-heavy content
Visual accessibility
Visual design choices significantly impact accessibility. Avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning. For example, don't use only red and green to indicate success or failure, as people with color blindness may not distinguish between them. Use text labels, icons, or patterns in addition to color.
Ensure that text overlays, titles, and captions are legible on mobile devices. Choose high-contrast color combinations and fonts with clear, distinct letterforms. Avoid placing text over busy backgrounds where it becomes difficult to read. Test your content on multiple screen sizes.
Be cautious with flashing or strobing content. Rapid flashing (more than three times per second) can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. If your content includes intense visual effects, provide a warning at the beginning.
- Don't rely on color alone to convey information
- Use high-contrast text and backgrounds
- Keep text large enough to read on mobile
- Avoid placing text over busy or low-contrast backgrounds
- Limit flashing content to fewer than 3 flashes per second
- Provide warnings for intense visual effects
Accessible campaign pages
Accessibility applies to your campaign page as well as your video content. Write clear, descriptive text that can be understood without seeing accompanying images. If you include images in your project description, provide context in the surrounding text.
Structure your project description with clear headings and short paragraphs. Long walls of text are difficult for everyone, but especially for people using screen readers or those with cognitive disabilities.
When linking to external resources, use descriptive link text rather than generic phrases like 'click here.' For example, 'Read our production timeline' is more accessible than 'Click here for more info.'
- Write clear, descriptive text
- Provide context for images in surrounding text
- Use headings and short paragraphs
- Use descriptive link text
- Avoid jargon or explain technical terms
AI-generated content considerations
AI-generated video and audio may present unique accessibility challenges. Auto-generated voices may lack the natural pacing and emphasis that aids comprehension. AI-generated visuals may have inconsistent text rendering or rapid visual changes that are difficult to follow.
Review your AI-generated content with accessibility in mind. If AI-generated speech is unclear, consider re-generating with different settings or using human narration for critical sections. If visuals change too rapidly, adjust pacing to give viewers time to process information.
Captions for AI-generated dialogue should be reviewed especially carefully, as speech synthesis can produce unusual pronunciations that confuse auto-captioning tools.
Tools and resources
Many tools can help you create more accessible content. Most video editing software includes captioning features. Dedicated captioning tools like Descript, Kapwing, or YouTube's built-in editor can simplify the process.
For checking color contrast, online tools like WebAIM's Contrast Checker help verify that your text meets accessibility standards. Browser extensions like WAVE can analyze web pages for accessibility issues.
If you're unsure whether your content is accessible, ask for feedback from people with different abilities. Real-world testing often reveals issues that automated tools miss.
- Captioning: Descript, Kapwing, YouTube Studio, Rev
- Contrast checking: WebAIM Contrast Checker, Colour Contrast Analyser
- General accessibility: WAVE browser extension, axe DevTools
- Screen reader testing: NVDA (Windows, free), VoiceOver (Mac, built-in)