What This Rule Checks
Captions make video content accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing a text-based representation of dialogue and important sound effects. Good captions include dialogue, speaker identification, and non-speech audio information like meaningful sound effects
Who Is Affected
This issue primarily affects: Deaf users, who cannot hear audio content and rely on captions or transcripts.
Why This Matters
Videos without captions are completely inaccessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Captions also benefit users in noisy environments or who process written text better than speech. This is a WCAG 1.2.2 Level A violation.
How to Fix
Ensure all videos have captions using the <track> element in HTML or by embedding captions directly into the video file.
Code Examples
<!-- Video with no captions -->
<video src="product-demo.mp4" controls></video>
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<!-- Video with captions track -->
<video src="product-demo.mp4" controls>
<track
kind="captions"
src="demo-en.vtt"
srclang="en"
label="English captions"
default>
</video>
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing subtitles with captions (captions also include sound effects and speaker identification).
- Using auto-generated captions without reviewing for accuracy.
- Not providing captions for user-generated video content.
- Embedding videos from third-party platforms without ensuring caption availability.
Tip: Multimedia content must be accessible to users who cannot see or hear. Provide captions for video, transcripts for audio, and text descriptions for visual-only content. Always include user-controllable playback.
Related WCAG Criteria
- 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded)