1. Audio Description in Higher Education
Terrill Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
UW-IT Accessible Technology Services
University of Washington
uw.edu/accessibility
What's the most difficult WCAG 2.0 success critieria to meet?
1.2.5

2. Demos and links to resources: https://staff. washington
Show Demo 1 (non-described, then follow link to Described Version)

3. WCAG 2.0 Level A
1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded): An alternative for time-based media or audio description of the prerecorded video content is provided for synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such.

4. WCAG 2.0 Level AA
1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded): Audio description provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media.

5. How can we meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA SC 1.2.5?

6. There are many ways.

7. Q: Do all videos need to be described?
A: No! Some videos are accessible by audio alone.
Be proactive when creating video
Lecturers should describe all visual content
If multiple speakers, have them introduce themselves

8. Public Videos 57 known UW-affiliated YouTube channels
Over 7,000 videos
Nearly 2,500 hours of programming
At least 18 videos with over 100,000 views
Cost to caption $2/min) = $300,000
Cost to describe $10/min) = $1.5 Million

9. Lecture Capture As of Fall 2016:
58,370 videos in our system
9,914 videos (over 6 million minutes) viewed
Cost to caption $2/min) = $12 million
Cost to describe $10/min) = $60 million

10. Why Making Accessible Video Isn't an Undue Burden
Cost of Producing a 10-minute documentary-style video: $10,000
Cost to caption $2/min) = $20 (0.2%)
Cost to describe $10/min) = $100 (1%)

11. Which videos are the highest priority?
As with captioning, need to prioritize
Videos that are required viewing for students who need description (an accommodation)
Videos that are likely to be required viewing for students who need description
Videos that:
Are popular
Provide critical content
Discuss Demo 1 again; show Demos 2 & 3

12. YTCA can help with prioritizing.
Show Demo 4

13. To describe or not to describe. That is the question.

14. Which method should we use? "How to Meet 1.2.5"
Sufficient Techniques
Provide a second, user-selectable, audio track that includes audio descriptions
Provide a version of a movie with audio descriptions
Advisory Techniques
Use the <track> element to provide audio descriptions
(advisory = "based on technology that is not yet stable")

15. Which method should we use? (continued)
If dramatic work:
Outsource for human-narrated description
Else if need for description is minimal and simple:
If media player supports <track>: Do It Yourself!
Else: Outsource for human-narrated description OR text-to-speech

16. Which vendors provide human-narrated description?
"Services Involved with Audio Description" List of 75+ providers
In Spring 2017, narrowed the list to 18 providers that seemed to provide relevant services, contacted each by or web form
Prices vary significantly, based in part on complexity of the description ($12 - $75/min.)
Turnaround: 24 hours – 6 weeks
Final list: 6 providers

17. Which vendors provide text-to-speech description?
3PlayMedia
Automatic Sync (in beta through December 2017)

18. Is "extended audio description" required?
1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded): Where pauses in foreground audio are insufficient to allow audio descriptions to convey the sense of the video, extended audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media. (Level AAA)
Show 3PlayMedia Toddler description (local), then Demos 5 and 6

19. If using 3PlayMedia, which voices/speeds are best?
Research: Three students who use description
Watched 9 versions of two short videos
Voices: Michael, Allison, Kate (British)
Speeds: Slow, Medium, Fast
Watched 7 additional videos, described with various settings
Results:
Male/female voice should be distinct from voice of speaker(s) in video
Slight preference for Medium Michael
Slight tendency to dislike the fast voices, especially Fast Kate.

20. How can we deliver a "described version"?
Add a link: "Available with audio description"
Use Able Player
Free, open source, HTML5 media player
Fully accessible player controls
Supports multiple versions of a video (described vs non-described); user can toggle using "Description" button

21. Multiple versions in Able Player
<video data-able-player>
<source type="video/mp4"
src="path_to_video.mp4"
data-desc-src="path_to_described_video.mp4"/>
</video>

22. Multiple YouTube versions in Able Player
<video data-able-player
data-youtube-id="xxx"
data-youtube-desc-id="yyy">
</video>
Show Demo 7

23. How can we deliver a "second audio track"?
JW Player
Video.js
Oz Player

24. JW Player Prior to version 6: "Audio Description Plugin"
Played an Mp3 in sync with video
Included optional "ducking" feature that lowered program audio when description audio was playing
Version 6 and higher:
Supports multiple audio tracks for a single video via HTTP Live Streaming (HLSV4)
Not yet supported in all browsers
Unsupported browsers require Flash fallback

25. Video.js
Supports multiple audio files per video with a plug-in:
Uses HTTP Live Streaming
Not yet supported in all browsers

26. Oz Player Audio description via a separate audio file
Toggled on/off via an AD button
Works across all browsers

27. The HTML5 <track> element

28. The <track> element
<video src="myvideo.mp4"> <track kind="captions" src="mycaps.vtt"> <track kind="descriptions" src="mydesc.vtt"> </video>

29. A closer look at <track>
kind - The type of text track
src - Address of the source file
srclang - Language of the text track
label - User-visible label
<track kind="descriptions" src="mydesc.vtt" srclang="en" label="Audio description (English)">

30. Different kinds of <track>
captions
subtitles
descriptions
chapters
metadata

31. WebVTT Format Stands for "Web Video Text Tracks"
WEBVTT
00:00: > 00:00:02.000
Michael Young, President, University of Washington
00:00: > 00:00:44.000
Tracy Mitrano, Director of IT Policy, Cornell University
00:01: > 00:01:32.000
Edward Ray, President, Oregon State University

32. Able Player supports <track>
Full support for all HTML <track> elements (captions, subtitles, descriptions, chapters, & metadata)
Chapters, captions, & descriptions are automatically assembled into an interactive transcript
Supports description tracks by exposing description text in an ARIA live region at appropriate times during playback
Optional feature (enabled in preferences): Pause video during audio description
Show Demo 7 again, use Preferences to use TTS description

33. Chrome used to support <track>
Two extensions released by Google Accessibility:
HTML5 Audio Description (via Screen Reader)
HTML5 Audio Description (via Text-to-Speech)
Screen reader version:
Inserts a <div> into page with role="alert"
Adds to <title>: ". has audio described video"
No longer supported
Last updated in 2012
Dependent on “Enable <track> element” experiment in chrome://flags/ (which no longer exists)

34. How can we create our own WebVTT description track?
Simply use your favorite text editor (e.g., Notepad)
Use any captioning tool
Amara.org
Dotsub.com
NCAM Caption and Description Editing Tool (CADET)

35. Captioning Tool Example
Shown: Amara.org

36. Another DIY Option: YouDescribe
Enables DIY crowd-sourcing of YouTube descriptions
Describers can record audio clips via the website and sync them with the video
Descriptions can be "inline" or "extended"
Viewers can control volume of description independently of program audio

37. Developing In-house Capacity for Producing Audio Description
Training:
DCMP Description Key:

38. Questions?