Motta Industries Blog

Video has become one of the most common ways small businesses explain what they do. A plumber shows how to shut off a water valve. A bakery films a cake being decorated. A software company records a product walkthrough. A nonprofit posts its annual event highlights. These videos can be persuasive and useful, but only for people who can take in both what is shown and what is said.

Many people cannot hear a video, or cannot see it, or are watching somewhere they cannot turn on the sound. Captions, transcripts and audio description close those gaps. They are central to accessibility, and they also make video easier to use for almost everyone. This guide explains what each one does, what the standards say, how to produce them without a big budget and how to present video on your website so everyone can use it.

This article is general information, not legal advice. If you have specific obligations under disability law, consult a qualified attorney.

Who is left out by inaccessible video

Video carries information through two channels, sound and picture. Anyone who misses one of them can miss the point.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing need the spoken words and important sounds presented as text. People who are blind or have low vision need important visual information described in words. People with cognitive or learning disabilities may benefit from reading along, pausing or reviewing a transcript at their own pace. People who speak another first language often follow captions more easily than speech.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s March 2022 guidance on web accessibility and the ADA addresses this directly. It notes that people who are deaf or hard of hearing may use captioning, and lists “no captions on videos” among common barriers, explaining that people with hearing disabilities may not be able to understand information communicated in a video if the video does not have captions. It adds that videos can be made accessible by including synchronized captions that are accurate and identify any speakers in the video.

Situational limits matter too. Someone in a quiet waiting room, on a loud train or next to a sleeping baby may watch with the sound off. The Department made a similar point in its April 2024 rule for state and local governments, observing that captioning is often used by individuals viewing videos in quiet public spaces.

Captions, transcripts and audio description

These three tools are related but different, and each solves a different problem.

Captions are synchronized text that appears on screen as people speak. Good captions include who is speaking when it is not obvious, and meaningful sounds such as laughter, a doorbell or music that sets the mood. Closed captions can be switched on and off by the viewer. Open captions are burned into the video and always visible.

Transcripts are a text version of the whole video, placed on the page or linked from it. A basic transcript includes the spoken words. A descriptive transcript also includes important visual information, which makes it useful for people who are deaf and blind and for anyone who prefers reading to watching. Transcripts are also searchable and easy to skim.

Audio description is narration that describes important visual information that is not already clear from the soundtrack. If a presenter says “click here” while pointing at the screen, or text appears that nobody reads aloud, a person who cannot see the video misses it. Audio description fills those gaps, often during natural pauses.

Subtitles are often confused with captions. Strictly speaking, subtitles translate dialogue for viewers who can hear but do not understand the language, while captions are designed for viewers who cannot hear the audio. Many platforms use the terms loosely, so check what a setting actually produces.

What the standards say

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, published by the World Wide Web Consortium, are the most widely used technical standard for web accessibility. The WCAG 2.2 Recommendation, published in October 2023, includes several success criteria for time-based media:

• Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), Level A. Prerecorded audio-only content, such as a podcast, needs a text alternative. Prerecorded video with no sound needs a text or audio alternative.
• Captions (Prerecorded), Level A. Captions are provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media.
• Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded), Level A. Either audio description or a full text alternative is provided for prerecorded video.
• Captions (Live), Level AA. Captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media.
• Audio Description (Prerecorded), Level AA. Audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media.

Each criterion includes exceptions, such as media that is clearly labeled as an alternative for text already on the page.

These standards also matter legally for some organizations. In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for the web content and mobile apps of state and local governments. Large public entities must comply beginning April 24, 2026, and smaller entities and special district governments beginning April 26, 2027. The rule specifically discusses live captioning, noting that live-audio captioning has become even more critical for individuals with certain types of disabilities to participate fully in civic life.

The Title II rule applies to public entities, not private businesses. Even so, WCAG is the common reference point for accessibility work, and businesses that sell to governments, schools or large organizations are often asked to meet it.

Producing captions without a big budget

Captioning used to require specialized services for every video. Today most small businesses can produce good captions with a mix of automatic tools and careful review.

Start with a clean recording. Clear audio produces better automatic captions. Use a decent microphone, reduce background noise and ask speakers to talk one at a time.

Generate a first draft. Most video platforms and editing apps can create automatic captions. Treat these as a starting point, not a finished product.

Edit for accuracy. Automatic captions often struggle with names, product terms, numbers, accents and overlapping speech. Watch the whole video with captions on and correct every error. A caption that turns “do not mix” into “do now mix” can change the meaning entirely.

Add speakers and sounds. Identify speakers when it is not obvious, and include meaningful sound information in brackets, such as [phone rings] or [upbeat music].

Check timing and readability. Captions should appear when words are spoken and stay on screen long enough to read. Break lines at natural phrases and avoid covering important on-screen content.

Keep the caption file. Save the caption file, usually in a format such as SRT or WebVTT, so you can reuse it when you move or edit the video.

For live events, consider professional captioners for important sessions, and test automatic live captions in advance if you rely on them.

Planning for audio description

Audio description is easiest when you plan for it before filming. The simplest approach is to make the soundtrack describe what matters.

Write scripts so presenters say what they are doing: “Now I will open the settings menu in the top right corner” instead of “Now click here.” Read aloud any text that appears on screen, such as phone numbers, prices or step titles. Describe key visual moments, like the finished product, as part of the narration.

When important visuals cannot be described naturally, add a separate described version or provide a descriptive transcript. For short marketing videos, a well-written narration and a descriptive transcript are often enough.

Presenting video on your website

Accessible media also depends on the page and the player around it.

• Use an accessible player. Controls should work with a keyboard and screen reader, have visible focus and clear labels, and include a captions button.
• Do not autoplay sound. Unexpected audio interferes with screen readers and surprises everyone. If video plays automatically, it should be silent and easy to pause.
• Place transcripts nearby. Put the transcript directly below the video or link to it with a clear label.
• Make it work on phones. Video and captions should scale to small screens without cutting off text or controls. This is part of good responsive design.
• Avoid flashing content. Rapid flashes can trigger seizures in some people.
• Give context. A short description of what the video covers helps people decide whether to watch.

Thoughtful UI/UX design treats media as part of the user’s task, not a decoration.

A fictional example

Consider a fictional garden center that posts short planting videos on its website. Before reviewing its media, the videos had no captions, the presenter often said “put this here” while pointing, and the plant names were never shown or spoken clearly.

The owner started by generating automatic captions and correcting them, paying close attention to plant names and measurements. She added sound cues where they mattered and saved caption files for every video. For new videos, she rewrote scripts so the presenter described each step aloud: “Dig a hole about twice as wide as the pot.” She added a descriptive transcript below each video with the steps as a list.

The result was that customers could follow along with or without sound, read the steps later while working outside and search the page for a specific plant. Staff found that fewer customers called with questions about the same steps.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few problems appear again and again when businesses review their own video:

• Publishing automatic captions unedited. Errors in names, numbers and instructions can mislead viewers.
• Captioning only some videos. Older uploads and social clips embedded on the site still count.
• Relying on images of text. Phone numbers and prices shown only on screen are lost to people who cannot see them.
• Hiding the transcript. A file buried in a download menu is hard to find.
• Forgetting updates. When you edit a video, update its captions and transcript too. Outdated captions that no longer match the speech are confusing for every viewer.

A media accessibility checklist

Use this list for each video you publish:

• Captions are accurate, synchronized and include speakers and meaningful sounds.
• Automatic captions were reviewed and corrected by a person.
• A transcript is available near the video.
• Important visual information is spoken or described.
• Audio-only content has a transcript.
• Live events have a captioning plan.
• The player works with a keyboard and screen reader.
• Sound does not play automatically.
• Video and captions work on small screens.
• Caption files are saved and reused.

Video that everyone can use reaches more customers and communicates more clearly. If you want help reviewing existing media or building an accessible approach for new content, a broader website accessibility review is a practical place to begin.