Making Videos Accessible to All

Video has long been a great medium to convey content in more expressive and imaginative ways than text or imagery alone. Ever since their introduction to the digital environment, people have used videos to attempt to capture the spectrum of the human experience (and then some) using storytelling devices, set/background/clothing design, choreography, music, and sound design, and expressive acting.
How can we take a medium so complex and varied and ensure that everyone can engage with it in a meaningful way? In this article, we’ll explore the guidance from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and techniques like text, captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions to learn how to maximize your ability to reach diverse audiences and conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.