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Re: Audio description and captions

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Jan 29, 2024 7:48AM

Thanks Patrick, that's exactly what I was looking for.

Steve


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Patrick H. Lauke
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2024 2:00 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Audio description and captions



On 29/01/2024 13:23, Steve Green wrote:
> Thanks, Dean. WCAG SC 1.2.2 states that captions must include all audio content. Where have you seen an exception for audio description? I can't find one. Our interpretation has got to be based on the normative text and supporting documentation - we can't ignore them or invent new requirements.

Interestingly, this prompted me to dig a bit deeper, and to my surprise, found something (though they clearly buried the lede here):


https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/#dfn-captions
NOTE 6
Audio descriptions can be, but do not need to be, captioned since they
are descriptions of information that is already presented visually.

That should really be surfaced much better in the current understanding
documents...



Related, found his, but that was clearly just scoped to "a silent movie"...


https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/audio-only-and-video-only-prerecorded.html

Note
A text equivalent is not required for audio that is provided as an
equivalent for video with no audio information. For example, it is not
required to caption video description that is provided as an alternative
to a silent movie.


So, it does seem that there's a get-out clause for AD, just that WCAG
buried it in the definition for captions...

P
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Patrick H. Lauke

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