1.2.5 closes a loophole that exists in 1.2.3. At Level A, you can provide a text alternative instead of audio description. At Level AA, you cannot — you must provide audio description for all prerecorded video content with an audio track.
Audio description is an additional narration layer that describes what is happening visually in a video — the actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and any visual information that is not already conveyed by the existing audio.
Since most legal frameworks that reference WCAG require Level AA, 1.2.5 is the real-world requirement for most organisations. 1.2.3 still needs to be met too, but 1.2.5 goes further.
| Field | Details |
| WCAG Criterion | 1.2.5 |
| Conformance Level | Level AA |
| Principle | Perceivable |
| WCAG Version | 2.1 |
| Official Reference | https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/1-2-5 |
The Concept in Plain Terms
Picture this. You are blind and you turn on a training video. Someone is speaking — you can hear them. But they keep saying things like ‘as you can see here’ and ‘this part over here’. Nothing on the audio track tells you what ‘here’ is. You hear the words but lose the meaning.
Audio description solves that. A narrator fills in what is happening visually, using the natural pauses in the dialogue. Done well, a blind user can follow the video exactly as a sighted user would.
This is distinct from captions. Captions are text on screen for deaf users. Audio description is extra audio for blind users. They solve different problems.
Who Does This Actually Affect?
- Blind and severely sight-impaired users who use screen readers and cannot see video content
- Low vision users who may see movement but miss on-screen text or detailed visuals
- Anyone who is listening to the video without watching — which is more common than you might think
For corporate training, onboarding videos, product tutorials, explainer animations, and government public information content, this criterion is highly relevant. Any video where visuals carry part of the message needs it.
Common Failures
No audio description provided and only a text alternative used
Citing 1.2.3’s text alternative option to avoid producing audio description. Fine for Level A. Not for Level AA.
Audio description that only describes aesthetics, not meaning
Saying ‘a woman in a blue dress walks across the office’ when what matters is ‘the user clicks the Submit button’ is a description failure. Audio descriptions must cover meaningful visual information, not just visual detail.
Audio description that talks over dialogue
Descriptions that overlap with or obscure dialogue make the video worse for blind users, not better. Descriptions should fit into natural pauses or — if the pauses are too short — extended audio description should be used.
Providing audio description for only some videos on a page
If audio description is required, it is required for all applicable videos. A selective approach — applying it only to featured or recent content — will fail an audit.
How to Fix It
- Watch the video and identify every moment where visual information is not conveyed in the existing audio
- Write description scripts for those moments, fitting text into natural pauses where possible
- Record the descriptions in a voice that is clearly distinct from the main narration
- Mix the description audio with the original video track, or create a separate audio-described version
- Offer the audio-described version with a clear label — ‘Watch with audio description’
- For complex videos with no natural pauses, consider extended audio description (pausing the video to allow description)
There are tools that can assist with this workflow, including specialist post-production services and platforms that support multiple audio tracks.
| Production tip: Write audio descriptions at the scriptwriting stage, not as an afterthought. If you design video content with pauses for description built in from the start, the post-production cost drops significantly. |
Edge Cases Worth Knowing
- All visual information is in the audio: If a narrator explicitly describes everything on screen, audio description may not be needed. Test by watching with eyes closed — do you still get all the information?
- Decorative elements: Aesthetic visuals that carry no informational value do not need to be described.
- Presentations and slides: A video of someone presenting slides where the slides contain key information that is not read aloud definitely needs audio description.
How to Test for 1.2.5
- Watch the video with your eyes closed or screen off
- Could you follow everything that matters from audio alone?
- Check whether audio description is available for the video
- If audio description exists: listen to it — are all meaningful visual elements described without obscuring dialogue?
- Check that the audio-described version is clearly findable
Why This Matters Beyond a Checkbox
Video is one of the most powerful and prevalent communication formats online. And it is almost entirely unavailable to blind users without audio description. This criterion is not a fringe requirement — it is fundamental to equal access to multimedia content.
Getting audio description right also forces clearer thinking about your content. If you cannot easily describe what is happening visually, that may be a signal that the visual design itself could be clearer.
Quick Fix Checklist
- All prerecorded video with audio has a version with audio description
- Audio description covers all meaningful visual information not in the original audio
- Descriptions fit into natural pauses and do not talk over dialogue
- Audio-described version is clearly labelled and easy to find
- Extended audio description is used where natural pauses are insufficient
Frequently Asked Questions
Is audio description the same as closed captions?
No. Captions are text transcripts of the audio, used by deaf users. Audio description is an additional audio track describing the visuals, used by blind users. They solve different accessibility problems and both may be required.
Can the presenter just narrate everything on screen?
That is the ideal — building description into the original production. If your narrator says ‘Click the red Save button in the top right corner’ rather than ‘click here’, you may not need a separate audio description. But this requires careful scripting.
What about animated content and infographic videos?
Yes, these need audio description. Animations often carry a high proportion of their meaning visually. An animated explainer video where all the key content appears as on-screen text that is never read aloud needs full audio description.
Does this apply to social media videos?
If those videos are hosted on or embedded in your website, yes. What you control, you are responsible for.