With the recent shift to predominantly online learning, library staff have become more involved than ever in making pre-recorded videos for library users as well as delivering synchronous training through video.

It’s important to make sure that any videos that we create are accessible by disabled library users. Remember that creating accessible video benefits all users. Some people might watch your video in a quiet library and need to turn off sound and read captions, or in a noisy family home or on any number of different devices. All users benefit from accessible video design.

The best way to ensure your video is accessible is to plan accessibility in from the start. It’s harder to make an inaccessible video accessible once it has been produced.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) include requirements for ‘time-based media’, i.e. video and audio. The most relevant section is Guideline 1.2 Time-based media, but other sections include relevant guidelines:

• 1.3.3 Sensory characteristics
• 1.4.2 Audio control
• 1.4.3 Contrast
• 1.4.7 Low or no background audio
• 2.3 Seizures and physical reactions

Currently the main sources of advice on accessible video within the University are:

• Cambridge Centre for Teaching & Learning (Advice on using video for lectures and supervisions. Includes information about the accessibility of different platforms and making accessible recorded lectures).
• DRC guidelines for creating accessible recorded online lectures (April 2020 document covering preparing to record, delivery and associated materials).
• University Information Service (UIS): captioning and transcripts (Advice and information plus how-to guides to captioning on different platforms).

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides an excellent and highly practical guide to making accessible audio and video which references the relevant WCAG standards. The guide advocates building in accessibility from the start of the planning process and covers:

• Understanding user needs
• Planning
• Audio and video content
• Media players
• Description
• Captions/subtitles
• Transcripts

Birkbeck for all also has a very practical tutorial on accessible video creation covering creating videos, media players, subtitles/captions, transcripts and audio description.