Closed captions offer millions of people who are Deaf or hard of hearing access to TV, live events and work meetings. Audio description, an accessibility solution that assists individuals who are blind or have low vision, unfortunately, hasn’t yet gained the same level of traction as captioning.
The lack of audio description in many settings excludes audience members and professionals. It damages efforts to provide inclusive, accessible experiences. Additionally, most lawsuits based on inaccessible websites come from people who are blind.
While TV networks and streaming platforms are getting better about offering audio description, businesses are missing the mark. Many professionals aren’t aware of the solution or are unsure of how to incorporate audio description into their businesses. Fortunately, that is starting to change.
“Verbit recently saw an incredible increase in audio description requests from corporations,” said Heather York, the Vice President of Marketing and Government Affairs at VITAC, a Verbit company.
There’s also pending legislation that could create new and stricter standards for audio description.
Discover more about how audio description works, as well as three reasons your company should be tapping into this tool.
Audio description involves a narrator who describes the visual aspects of a video. There are many scenes in films that convey important plot points, themes, character development or other information without any dialogue or narration. For example, imagine the emotional final scene from Titanic, the terrifying and suspenseful night vision scene from Silence of the Lambs or the tense ceasefire in Children of Men. Those are just a few examples of critical scenes that involve no dialogue or narration. Without audio description, many people would be denied access to those films and the complete stories.
In most cases, the descriptions play during breaks in the dialogue. In this way, the audio descriptions provide context without interfering with the original soundtrack. However, there are cases where longer descriptions are necessary. For this reason, Verbit offers standard audio description, and extended audio description, which involves pauses in the video to play more in-depth explanations.
Although the need for audio description in media might be clear, some people overlook the importance of this feature in other settings, such as workplaces. However, such oversights are problematic and potentially violate accessibility regulations or standards.
Videos are critical for marketing efforts. Clever advertisements can help brands build their reputations, promote products and reach their target audiences. Captions are part of the effort to make content accessible, but without audio description, marketing videos are still excluding potential customers.
In fact, silent advertisements are a growing trend as companies adapt to behaviors on platforms like Facebook, where 85% of views happen without the sound on. Now, many successful advertising videos rely entirely on visuals to convey their message. Unfortunately, those clever animations and visuals aren’t allowing people who are blind or low vision the same experiences.
A truly inclusive video must offer audio description. The added benefit is greater reach and potentially positive brand recognition for prioritizing accessibility.
The need for accommodations for employees with disabilities starts in the hiring process before a company even extends an offer. Then when it comes to training these new employees, employers often offer videos to help. Whether it’s career development focused content, testimonials from current employees to motivate them or even required sexual harassment or diversity training videos, all of these video assets need to accommodate all employees. Adding audio description as a feature to them can help to ensure those who are navigating vision loss or blindness can participate with equity.
Think of a PowerPoint presentation. The images on slides may include graphs, charts, numbers or other information that the speaker doesn’t say out loud because they expect participants to view the presentation. It’s important that everyone has an opportunity to follow along in these situations. Without audio description, people who are blind or have low vision won’t be able to do so with equity.
Companies will also often place GIFs or funny anecdotal images on the screen. Adding audio description for these images is also critical so that even if a person cannot see them, they’re still included in the joke. Socializing and being included in both trivial and critical conversations is important for all employees.
It’s not just about offering audio description, but about ensuring quality descriptions for true access. Just as inaccurate closed captions can prevent meaningful access, so can low-quality audio descriptions.
It’s not enough to have a person describe what they see on the screen. Professional audio describers know what to focus on and how to tackle things like colors, facial expressions, body language, setting changes, lighting and more. Nuances can make a big difference in the quality of the audio description.
“For example, you don't say that somebody is angry,” York, who works to promote the use and importance of audio description at VITAC, said. “You say that their teeth are gritted, and they're scowling,” she explained.
The describer’s voice, inflections, style and tone matter as well. At a bare minimum, the description should be clear and include accurate pronunciation of the words, names and other information they cover. Additionally, the describer needs to make artistic choices regarding their approach to different scenes. A mechanical, one size fits all style that ignores the story won’t offer an equitable experience. For instance, a describer may speak with a different cadence in a suspenseful scene versus a joyful one.
Quality descriptions are vital for movies, but they’re also important for any business that wants its marketing videos to convey a powerful message. Fortunately, offering this solution is becoming easier thanks to professional audio description options like Verbit’s that support the needs of today’s companies.
Partnering with a professional accessibility company like Verbit is a great way to benefit from individuals with years of experience creating and providing accessibility solutions. Verbit works with businesses to provide captioning, audio description and other tools that allow companies to create more inclusive workplaces, marketing efforts and brands. To learn more about how your business can start using audio description, reach out to Verbit.