Overview

Making your audio and video content accessible helps all students and staff use it. This page answers common questions and shares guidance on accessibility standards.

Why make audio and video accessible?

Accessible media helps many people, including people who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing, blind or low-vision, and people who prefer or need text. It also improves search, helps in noisy or quiet settings, and supports people on slow internet.

What are the main requirements?

Captions for spoken audio and key sounds
Transcripts as a full text alternative
Audio description when visuals show important information that the audio does not include.
An accessible media player with keyboard-friendly controls for play, pause, volume, and track selection. Do not set media to auto-play.

Which standards apply?

WCAG 2.2 multimedia criteria: 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.2.5
Section 508 also requires accessible players and tracks in federal contexts.

Captions

Are auto-captions enough?

No. Auto-captions are a helpful first draft. Accuracy varies by audio quality, accents, jargon, and live streaming. Human review of captions is required.

Closed, open, or subtitles: what is the difference?

Burned-in (Open) Captions: Permanently embedded into the video (can’t be turned off).
- Not machine-readable → not accessible for screen readers or captioning software.
- If using burned-in captions, you would also have to provide a closed caption file to meet accessibility standards.
Closed Captions: Appear as a toggle-able text track (e.g., via a CC button). Typically include:
- Spoken dialogue
- Speaker identification
- Non-speech elements (like [laughter], [door slams], or music cues)
- Machine-readable → compatible with screen readers, search, and accessibility tools.
- Best for accessibility.
Subtitles: Typically used to translate dialogue into another language. Usually include dialogue only; non-speech elements (like [sighs] or [music]) are often excluded. Can be:
- Open (burned-in) → permanently on
- Closed (toggleable) → like CC, but often without sound cues
- Subtitles can be similar to burned in captions visually but are in a language different than the audio track file of the multimedia

Basic caption formatting

If using Panopto the default settings are appropriate. If using another media player where there are more settings and variation keep in mind that captions should be:

Keep to 2 lines in length
Aim for about 32 to 45 characters per line
Place captions at the bottom center unless they cover important visuals. If they do, move them above.
Use a clear sans-serif font with strong contrast

Transcripts

Why provide a transcript if captions exist?

Works when video will not play or internet is slow
Many people prefer reading or need print
Supports DeafBlind users who read with refreshable braille
Great for skimming, quoting, and search

Where should I put the transcript?

Choose one and label it clearly:

A download link to a .docx or .txt file under the video
An accordion that expands below the video, with an ARIA label such as "Click Here for the [Video Name] Transcript"
- For guidance on how to do this, see the HTML Transcript Template for Videos in Canvas page.
A separate HTML page with the content as plain text and the page is linked under the video

What should a transcript include?

All spoken words (excluding filler words like "um" and false starts)
Use a readable sans serif font at least 11pt in size
List the speaker's name followed by a colon. (Ex: Jim:)
- List the speakers name each time there is a transition of who is speaking
Decide on retaining or removing timestamps based on user needs
- Timestamps allow readers to match text with audio/video. It’s recommended to include at least limited time stamps at heading levels and/or when speakers transition
- Ex: Heading [2:00]
- Ex: Jim [2:00]:
Include on-screen information (required for content not included in audio but best practice for all on-screen content)
- On-Screen: [Text content inside brackets]
- (Sounds outside of speech, like an alarm sound, should be contained within parentheses)
If using headings in your transcript:
- consider inserting a heading when a new topic or interview question is introduced
- ensure you’re following existing heading accessibility guidance (logical order -- H1, H2, H3, etc)

How do I make a transcript file into a usable text file?

One solution is to put the video link in ChatGPT and ask it to provide the text of the transcript only (Note: the free version of ChatGPT can only handle videos less than 30 minutes long).
Zoom provides a VTT file that can be the text of the transcript
Many automated files will be in single line sentences, so it is best practice to edit this format into readable paragraph length text as appropriate.

How can I remove timestamps or edit the caption file to create a transcript?

We recommend using AI to assist and suggest the below as a prompt option:

"Review the attached timestamped transcript and update capitalization, punctuation, remove repeats of names of who is talking, so that the name shows once each time they speak and not again until someone new is talking. Speakers names should be bold. Remove the timestamps for this transcript but do not change any language or phrasing. Describe non-speech sounds that are important for context."

Is a YouTube transcript enough?

Yes – If you are linking to the video and all users travel to YouTube to view it, they can access the transcript file directly on YouTube.
No – If you embed the video into Canvas or another platform, the transcript is not automatically visible to viewers. In that case, you need to:
- Ensure captions are turned on and accurate, and
- Provide the transcript separately (either posted under the video or linked as a text file).

What do I do if I want to use a video that isn’t on YouTube and doesn’t seem to have a transcript?

Here are your options:

If the video has captions but no transcript:
- A transcript can often be pulled from the caption file that’s embedded in the video.
- Our eLearning team can help locate and export this caption file by looking at the video’s HTML code. Submit an eLearning support request for help with this.
If the video does not have captions:
- The video will not be accessible in its current form. You’ll need to either:
  - Find an alternative version of the video that already has captions, or
  - Reach out to the owner of the video and request they provide an accessible version
  - If we have copyright - request captioning services for the video (limitations apply: contact eLearning for guidance).

How do I download and edit transcripts from Panopto?

Panopto automatically generates captions and a transcript for your videos. You can download these transcripts for editing or to share as a separate file.

Log into Panopto and open the video
Select the Settings gear icon.
Go to the Captions tab.
Click Download file to save the transcript in .vtt or .txt format.
Edit the file in a text editor or Word to clean up formatting, remove timestamps if needed, and add descriptions of visuals.
Note: When captions are turned on, a message often appears saying "Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity." This is a standard Panopto notice and does not mean the captions were unreviewed, unsaved, or inaccurate -- captions/transcripts can be edited to improve clarity and accuracy.

For more help, see the Downloading Captions from Panopto video on the Tools & Support for Accessible Videos page.

Audio description

When is audio description needed? 

Add it when visuals carry meaning that the audio does not include. Examples: labeled diagrams, on-screen steps, or animations.

Best practice 

Write your script so the speaker describes essential visuals out loud. This often removes the need for a separate description track. If gaps remain, add a description track or provide a descriptive transcript.

How do I decide if I need a separate description track or transcript?

Ask yourself:

Is there on-screen text, a change of speaker, or other essential information not included in the audio?
- If yes:
  - First check if the audio can be updated (narration or script edits) to include the information.
    - If yes → update the audio. No separate description is needed.
    - If no → add descriptions into the transcript (preferred), or add in a described video.
- If no: no audio description is required.

How to Handle Audio Descriptions in Canvas

For many course videos, it’s often easiest to provide a descriptive transcript that combines the spoken words with descriptions of key visuals. This can be placed directly below the video, inside a collapsible <details> section, or as a linked file.
- For more guidance on this, see W3C's Tips for Doing Descriptions Yourself
In Canvas, videos cannot host multiple audio tracks. If you make a described version, upload it as a second video (one standard, one described).

Tips from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

Essential visuals include on-screen text, speaker names shown visually, diagrams, and scene changes not covered in narration.
Keep descriptions short, objective, and in the present tense.
Ensure your player supports description tracks or timed text, if you use them.

For more information, see W3C's Audio Description Checklist

Media players, controls, and auto-play

Use a player with keyboard-accessible controls for play, pause, volume, and track selection
Turn off auto-play on page load
If you link to YouTube, share how to manage Autoplay in YouTube settings

How to turn off YouTube Autoplay

Mobile: Profile → Settings → Autoplay → Off
Desktop: Use the Autoplay toggle on the player, or go to Settings → Autoplay

Using ASL interpreters On-Screen

Place the ASL interpreter as picture-in-picture at the lower right by default
Size the window so hand shapes and facial grammar are clear
Move the window if it blocks important visuals
For talking-head videos, a side-by-side layout can work well

See also, Equal Dreams Placement of Sign Language Interpreters in Media

Special Cases

Video without audio

One requirement of WCAG is that all non-text content has a text alternative. If your video has no audio track, you must provide:

An audio description caption file, and
A descriptive transcript file

Audio-only content (podcasts or radio)

If you are sharing audio without visuals, provide a full transcript so people can read or use assistive technology. If the audio is live, it is best practice to provide real-time captions.

Support for Captioning, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions

Captioning, transcript, and audio description support is available through Seattle Colleges’ 3Play Media contract. You can request captioning via the eLearning Video Captioning Request Form.

Requirements

Private videos cannot be captioned.
- YouTube videos must be unlisted or public.
- Panopto videos must have permissions set to “Anyone with the link can view.”
Video length must be under 60 minutes.
Videos should be used across multiple terms.
Instructional videos are prioritized for captioning.

Related pages

Creating Accessible Video: Before, During, and After

Digital Accessibility Training Hub

Tools & Support for Accessible Videos: Panopto Tutorials