apply-media-captions

name	apply-media-captions
description	Use when publishing video, audio, or any time-based media — to provide captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for users who cannot hear or see the media content.
source	W3C WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.1–1.2.5 (Level A/AA); W3C WebVTT specification; BBC Subtitle Guidelines; Netflix Timed Text Style Guide
tags	["accessibility","wcag","a11y","captions","transcripts","audio-description","media","developer"]
related	["design-accessibility-standards","audit-accessibility","apply-text-alternatives"]

Implement Media Captions

Provide synchronized captions for video, transcripts for audio, and audio descriptions for visual-only content.

Why This Is Best Practice

Adopted by: WCAG 2.1 SCs 1.2.1–1.2.5 are Level A/AA — legally required by Section 508 (US), ADA, EU EN 301 549, and the UK Equality Act. Netflix was sued and settled for $755,000 in 2012 for missing captions (NAD v. Netflix) — the landmark case that accelerated industry adoption. All major streaming platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, AWS Elemental MediaConvert) now provide auto-captioning as baseline infrastructure. Impact: WHO estimates 1.5 billion people have hearing loss. Captions also benefit users in noisy environments, non-native language speakers, and users with cognitive disabilities. Facebook data showed 85% of videos are watched without sound — captions improve engagement for all users, not just those with disabilities. Why best: Auto-generated captions alone are insufficient — accuracy rates of 80–90% produce too many errors for compliance. Human-verified captions or caption editing is required for WCAG conformance.

Sources: W3C WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.1–1.2.5 (2018); NAD v. Netflix settlement (2012); Facebook Captions research (2016); W3C WebVTT specification

Steps

Step 1: Identify what each media type requires

Media type	Level A requirement	Level AA addition
Pre-recorded audio-only	Transcript	—
Pre-recorded video-only	Audio description OR transcript	—
Pre-recorded video+audio	Captions	Audio description
Live video+audio	Live captions	—

Step 2: Add synchronized captions to video using WebVTT

<video controls>
  <source src="product-demo.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  <track kind="captions"
         src="product-demo.en.vtt"
         srclang="en"
         label="English"
         default>
</video>

WebVTT format:

WEBVTT

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.000
Welcome to the product demo.

00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:08.000
Today we'll cover the three main features.

NOTE Speaker change
00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:12.000
[Jane] First, let's look at the dashboard.

Caption quality requirements:

• Synchronize within 2 seconds of speech
• Identify speakers when more than one person speaks: [Speaker Name]
• Describe significant non-speech audio: [applause], [alarm beeping]
• Do not exceed 42 characters per line, 2 lines per caption

Step 3: Write transcripts for audio-only content

<audio controls src="podcast-ep-42.mp3"></audio>

<details>
  <summary>Transcript — Episode 42</summary>
  <p><strong>Host:</strong> Welcome to episode 42...</p>
  <p><strong>Guest:</strong> Thank you for having me...</p>
</details>

Transcripts must include all speech, speaker identification, and meaningful non-speech sounds. A transcript linked adjacent to the player satisfies WCAG 1.2.1.

Step 4: Add audio descriptions for visual content in video

When video conveys information through visuals not described in dialogue, add an audio description track:

<video controls>
  <source src="tutorial.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  <track kind="captions" src="tutorial.en.vtt" srclang="en" label="English captions" default>
  <track kind="descriptions" src="tutorial.en.desc.vtt" srclang="en" label="Audio descriptions">
</video>

Or provide a separate audio-described version as a link adjacent to the player.

Step 5: Verify caption quality before publishing

Checklist:

• Captions are synchronized (within 2s)
• All speech is captured — no paraphrasing
• Speakers identified where more than one voice
• Non-speech audio described where meaningful
• Captions do not overlap or crowd the screen
• Auto-captions reviewed and corrected (do not ship raw auto-captions)

When NOT to Use

• Purely decorative background video (no meaningful audio or visual content) — mark with aria-hidden="true" and muted autoplay. No captions required.
• Live video where real-time captions are technically infeasible — document the exception and provide a text alternative as soon as practically possible after the live event.

Common Mistakes

Shipping auto-generated captions without review. Auto-caption accuracy of 80% means 1 in 5 words is wrong. This fails WCAG 1.2.2 and produces an unreliable experience.

Captions that only cover speech. A video where an alarm sounds and the character reacts — but the captions say nothing about the alarm — fails to convey equivalent information.

Transcript behind a paywall or login. If the media itself is accessible without login, so must the transcript be.