Multimedia/Social Media Guidelines

Captioning for prerecorded videos is part of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and is covered by Sucess Criterion 1.2.2. Including closed-captions for all videos with speaking increases the accessibility of videos for everyone. Captions enable all users to access audible information presented in videos and should include all dialogue, identify speakers, and any pertinent information that occurs during pauses in speech. All prerecorded videos with sound must have synchronized captions at 99% accuracy.

Captioning standards:

• Frames with 1-2 lines of text limited to 32 characters per line
• Be viewable for 3-7 seconds
• Be replaced with another caption frame (caption frames= chunks of text, so replace text with text.)
• Be precisely time-synced to audio
• Be unobtrusive

Captioning Best Practices for Readability:

• 100% accuracy
• Identify multiple speakers
• Non-serif Font: Helvetica Medium is preferred
• Use both upper and lower case
• non speech sounds enclosed in brackets e.g. [MUSIC] [LAUGHTER]
• Punctuation should aid clarity
• Preserve both slang and accents

Audio descriptions for prerecorded videos without speaking is part of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and is covered by Sucess Criterion 1.2.3. For videos with no sound, include an audio description of what's happening.

Audio Description Standards:

• Describe what is observed on the screen
• If time is limited for descriptions, describe essential elements first
• When possible, include all interactions, personal appearances, settings, and environmental cues
• When applicable, describe obvious emotional states (taking care to avoid subjective judgments that are not observable)
• Read titles, subtitles, or credits
• Do not censor video content (e.g. using "foul language bumper sticker" vs the actual "foul language" visible on the bumper sticker)

Live multimedia events must include synchronized captions and a transcript available after the event. Live events captions allow all users to benefit from and participate in real-time presentations. Captions must also include descriptions of who is speaking and any action that takes place during any pauses in speech. There is no specified percent of accuracy requirement, however every effort should be made to be as accurate as possible. After the event, a transcript must be made available.

Continuous animation can be distracting and can be a barrier for those with trouble reading stationary text, tracking moving object, or those using assistive technology. In order to comply with WCAG success criterion 2.2.2: "For any moving, blinking, or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than 5 seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is a part of an activity where it is essential..."

No page content should flash more than 3 times per second thereby reducing the chance of seizures. "Flashing is a seizure trigger and should never be used.

All images require alternative text (alt text). Alt text should convey the meaning of the image and any words on the object must be included in the alt text.

Alt Text Rules:

1. Every image must have alt-text
2. Context over picture; focus on you want the image to convey
3. Active images must include information about the action
4. Information contained in the image must be included in the alt text

Alt Text Best Practices:

• Focus on function-use it as a guide
• Avoid redundancy
• Keep it succinct and grammatically correct
• Use Description vs Title dialogue boxes
• Include all text that appears in the image
• Alt text for links must include destination
• Charts, graphs, and tables must have alt text unless the same information is provided in a Table or Figure description

To add alt text in Microsoft Products (PC):

Right-click on the image, chart, graph, etc. and select Format Picture

> Layout and Properties icon

> Alt Text

Use the Description dialogue to input appropriate alt text

To add alt text in Microsoft Products (Mac):

From the Home ribbon >Picture Format

> Format Pane

> Layout and Properties icon

> Alt Text

Use the Description dialogue to input appropriate alt text

To add alt text in Google-Suite (docs, sheets, slides, etc.):

Right-click on the image, chart, graph, etc. and select Alt Text

Use the Description dialogue to input appropriate alt text

> OK

When fliers are posted as multimedia images, the content is lost to those who use assistive technology because it comes through as an image. There is no way to adequately convey all of the information contained on the flier in alt-text therefore alternate methods of distribution are required.