Challenge 6: Video Accessibility
What are Accessible Videos?
Video can be a powerful way to teach, demonstrate concepts, and connect with students. But video can also create barriers when important information is only communicated visually or through sound.
Creating accessible video means considering how students will experience your content if they cannot see, hear, or fully focus on what is happening on screen.
Some common video accessibility practices include captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions. Captions provide a text representation of spoken content, while transcripts provide a written version of the video’s audio. Audio description adds narration that describes important visual information, actions, and on-screen content.
This challenge focuses particularly on integrated audio description: using your existing narration to describe what is happening on screen as you teach or demonstrate.
If something is important enough for students to see, consider whether you should also describe it.
Why Does This Matter?
Imagine you’re recording a screen demonstration for your students. You say: “Click on this button, then go over here and select this one.”
If a student can’t see your screen, these instructions don’t provide much useful information. Even students who can see the screen may struggle if they’re watching on a small device, dealing with glare, distracted, or experiencing a poor internet connection.
The transcript demonstrates this by comparing two versions of a screen-recording. In the first, the speaker relies on vague phrases such as “this one,” “here,” and “that one.” In the second, the speaker deliberately describes the links, headings, buttons, menus, and actions taking place on screen.
The second approach provides useful information even when someone can’t see or focus on the screen.
Although audio description is essential for blind and low-vision viewers, integrated audio description can benefit a much broader audience, including neurodivergent viewers, people watching on mobile devices, people who are distracted or tired, and people experiencing inconsistent internet connections.
Examples
Now it’s time to put these ideas into practice!
Try It Yourself!
Now it’s time to put these ideas into practice.
Step 1: Choose a short video or demonstration
Choose a video you have already created or think of a short screen-recording or demonstration you might create for your students.
If you’re using an existing video, choose a section where you’re demonstrating something visually.
Step 2: Write an integrated audio description
Imagine that your viewer cannot see your screen. Write a short script describing what you are doing. As you write, look for opportunities to:
- Describe important actions.
- Replace “here,” “there,” “this,” and “that” with specific labels.
- Identify buttons, menus, links, headings, or other interface elements.
- Use slide, figure, or question numbers when appropriate.
- Describe the relative location of important information.
- Avoid relying on colour or visual characteristics alone.
- Provide enough information for someone to follow the demonstration without seeing the screen.
Step 3: Try it out
Read your script aloud or record yourself demonstrating the process. Ask yourself:
Could someone follow these instructions if they couldn’t see my screen?
If not, identify one place where you could be more specific and revise your description.
Further Resources
Challenge Complete!
You’ve explored six foundational accessibility practices. We hope you’ll continue putting them into practice and finding new ways to make learning more accessible for everyone. Accessibility is an ongoing practice. Keep exploring, learning, and looking for small ways to make your teaching more accessible and inclusive.
This challenge is adapted from the “BCcampus Accessibility Bites Series: Video Accessibility” by Luck McKnight, used under CCBY 4.0
Caterina Valentino
Here is a detailed breakdown of the actions and office environment shown in the video demonstration “How NOT to answer the Telephone”:
Office Desk Setup and Layout https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L0BjPTZAks
Central Workstation: An administrative worker sits in a black office chair behind a wooden desk facing the camera.
Computer Monitor: On the left side of the desk sits a desktop computer monitor (LG brand).
Red Binder: Positioned on the left desk edge directly beside the computer monitor is a standing red ring binder with printed label text on its spine.
Landline Telephone: Located in the center-left of the desk surface, directly in front of the computer keyboard, is a cream-colored corded desktop telephone console.
Notepad and Pen: Situated on the right side of the desk surface is an open spiral notebook with a pen laying across it.
Background Storage: Directly behind the worker on shelf units are vertical file folders and binders stored in various colors.
Sequence of Actions
Unwrapping Food at Workstation [00:00:06 – 00:00:11]:
The office worker sits leaning on her left elbow while unwrapping a candy bar or snack with both hands directly over the desk keyboard.
Incoming Call Rings [00:00:11 – 00:00:29]:
The landline phone console rings repeatedly.
Instead of picking up the receiver immediately, the worker continues unwrapping and eating the snack, allowing the phone to ring four times before responding.
Answering the Telephone Receiver [00:00:30 – 00:00:35]:
The worker reaches with her left hand, lifts the telephone handset receiver from the base unit, and brings it to her left ear.
She begins speaking into the handset microphone while chewing food, opening the interaction abruptly with “Yeah?” [00:31].
Handling the Inquiry [00:00:36 – 00:00:54]:
While holding the telephone receiver to her ear with her left hand, she turns her body slightly toward the right file shelf.
She responds tersely to the caller: “She’s not here at the moment” [00:38].
She returns to leaning forward over the desk while resting her right hand on the computer keyboard.
Interrupted by Snack [00:00:55 – 00:01:10]:
The worker holds up her snack bar to take another bite while continuing to hold the phone handset.
She tells the caller, “Hold on” [01:01], and turns to type single-handedly on the computer keyboard while continuing to eat.
Distracted Conversation and Muffled Speech [00:01:11 – 00:01:31]:
With food in her mouth, she asks the caller to repeat themselves (“Sorry, what did you say?”) [01:11].
She takes another bite of the snack bar while listening, making mouth noises directly into the phone receiver.
She confirms she will pass along a message (“I’ll let Caroline know” [01:22]), while remaining visually distracted by her food rather than taking notes on the spiral pad on her desk.
Ending the Call Abruptly [00:01:32 – 00:01:38]:
The worker says a casual goodbye (“Ta”) [01:33] and slams the telephone handset back down onto the desk cradle base with force.
She immediately resumes eating the remainder of her snack using both hands.
I am unable to make a recording.
Caterina
Linda O'Donoghue
Thank you for this final challenge. What stood out to me was to ‘describe what is happening on the screen’ – an excellent point to remember depending on the context.
I enjoyed the weekly challenges presented as I feel that I was able to take away a key point each week, regardless of the content.
Many thanks,
Linda
Janet
This one really made me think about how much I rely on visual cues when I’m recording a video. I definitely say things like “click here,” “this one,” or “as you can see” without being mindful of the fact that the viewer may not see what I’m seeing. It’s about being more intentional about what I say while I’m already something. Being specific about what’s on the screen and what I’m doing makes the demonstration easier to follow. Identifying elements, using numbers, and describing locations will take practice but I totally get how they would make the video more accessible!
Tracy
Excellent reminder of how to be precise with instructions when demonstrating something on video – or even on screen as projected to the class! I will frequently navigate a site or demonstrate how to complete something in an electronic program, and being more aware of my language will help me instruct in a way that is easier to follow and understand.
As someone who is low-tech myself, I have become lost in demonstrations given by others as they move quickly and I cannot always track where their cursor is and where they have clicked. Using words to describe the steps, and moving slowly, would be highly advantageous.