Standards and Requirements for Quality Audio Description

Providing a verbal description of on-screen elements and visual details in media, audio description gives individuals with low vision the context they need to understand and enjoy video content. Think of it as the equivalent of captions, but for those who are blind or have low vision. 

While not every piece of video content shared online or on television is required to have audio description, there are laws and regulations requiring certain organizations to provide the option. This article will cover the legal requirements for audio description, as well as who is responsible for adhering to them and how to best describe audio to get a high-quality description.

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Beginner’s Guide to Audio Description [Free eBook]

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Legal Requirements for Audio Description

In the US, audio description falls under many of the same accessibility laws that require closed captioning for video. This includes the following Acts and laws:

• Americans with Disabilities Act Title II: Public entities with populations of 50,000 or more must ensure their web content complies with Level A and Level AA success criteria as outlined in WCAG 2.1 starting on April 24, 2026. On April 26, 2027, public entities under 50,000 must follow suit. This rule means that these public entities are required to have audio descriptions for their prerecorded online video content where visual information is necessary for understanding that content.  
• 21st Century Video Accessibility Act (CVAA): This act outlines the requirements of large broadcasting networks to meet a minimum number of hours of audio description for their content. 
• FCC Audio Description Requirements: Pursuant to the requirements of the CVAA, the FCC requires 87.5 hours of audio description content per year from local TV station affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC in the top 110 designated market areas (DMAs) in the United States. Every year through 2035, the next ten major DMAs must start adhering to this minimum. 
• Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: Pertaining to Federal agencies, these sections of the Rehabilitation Act mandate that any technology developed by these agencies – including online video – be accessible to persons with disabilities, and that auxiliary aids be provided to ensure so.

Additionally, WCAG 2.2 – the international standard for web accessibility – requires audio description under guideline 1.2 for time-based media. WCAG isn’t law (except in the cases outlined above), but since it’s considered the cornerstone for website accessibility, most accessibility experts recommend adhering to them. Doing so requires audio description be provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media, and extended audio description when media requires more detailed descriptions than allotted during a prerecorded video’s length.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) lists several sufficient techniques for adding description to audio-visual material. All of these methods are reliable ways to meet the WCAG Success Criterion.

What To Describe with Audio Description

Although what to describe may seem obvious, there’s a lot to keep in mind when employing audio description. For example, it’s important to only describe the seen, and not the unseen – such as motivations or intentions. The job of the describer is to describe what is physically observable, not to provide the listener with personal assumptions, interpretations, or conclusions.

When describing, it may be helpful to consider a circumstance where audio description might be used, such as a video being described for use in a college course. Assume that the students in the course will be tested on the information contained in this video. In order to keep things fair, all of the students should be provided with the same information. This exercise can be helpful in remembering to describe the crucial information for understanding and comprehension, but not giving excessive information, such as explaining personal interpretations and opinions.

How to Describe Audio

You can generate a quality audio track through synthesized speech, professional voice artists, and even artificial intelligence. Here are some options to consider while staying compliant. 

Featured Resource: Audio Description Services from 3Play Media

3Play Media’s audio description services follow these best practices, alongside the rest of the legal requirements outlined in this article. Learn more about these services and how they can keep your organization compliant and useful for individuals using audio description. 

Writing Effective Descriptions

• Be Concise and Compliant: The American Council of the Blind outlined its recommendations for audio description, including the details of what to (and not to) describe and how descriptions can coexist with other audio in a video. We’ll elaborate more on this best practice in the next section.
• Extended Audio Description: Sometimes, actions happen too quickly on-screen for a thorough audio description to cover them accurately. Here’s where you can rely on an extended audio description for when there’s not enough space to properly describe everything. 
• AI-Enabled Audio Description: Artificial intelligence tools can process video content and generate audio descriptions, which are then subject to human review. This option is the most efficient and still ensures quality and accuracy from humans before being published. 

Choosing a Voice for Audio Description

• Text-to-Speech Technology: Tools that create an audio description track by turning the written word into the spoken word are efficient and affordable ways to generate your audio. Many solutions come with options for humans to choose a voice – 3Play Media, for instance, offers 18 different English voice options. 

• Human-Narrated Descriptions: Record the track yourself or work with a professional voice artist to create a more natural-sounding track. While hiring a professional can cost more, it usually ensures better-sounding audio recorded using proper equipment. 

• Hybrid Human/Technology Approach: The ideal blend of tech and human touch, a hybrid approach leverages AI tools to create an AD and then relies on human review to perfect the final product so everything sounds smooth.

Quality Description

While audio description was originally developed for people who are blind or have low vision, the description’s concise and objective translation of visual content proves to be beneficial for a much broader audience. Audio description promotes a new way of learning through auditory means and can help individuals on the autism spectrum who may have difficulty recognizing emotional cues, who are learning English as a second language, or who have other learning difficulties. 

The DCMP description key and general guidelines for how to describe outline several key elements and audio description standards for creating high-quality description.

Quality Description Must Be:

• Accurate
  There must not be any errors in word choice, pronunciation, diction, or enunciation.
• Prioritized
  Content essential to comprehension and enjoyment is of the utmost importance. Description should portray only what is physically observable, rather than motivations or intentions, and should complement the original content.
• Consistent
  The content – as well as the voicing – should match the style, tone, and pace of the program. Patterns should be used for tasks such as announcing on-screen text and introducing new people.
• Appropriate
  Keep the intended audience in mind. Be neutral, simple, and succinct.
• Equal
  Equal access requires that the meaning and intention of the program must be conveyed. This also means that the describer should not inject their personal interpretations or opinions.

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This blog post was originally published on March 3, 2017 by Elisa Lewis. It has since been updated for accuracy and clarity.