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The WCAG Primer is intended for use by the UK cross government accessibility community. Complete our survey here.

1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (A)

Understanding 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (A)

All content that is audio-only like a podcast, or video-only like a silent movie, must have a text description or an audio description. This ensures that information communicated for sight and sound is available to people who cannot see or hear.

Requirements / What to do?

  • Audio only content that communicates information (like a podcast) has a text transcript;
  • Video-only content that communicates information (like a silent movie) has a text transcript that describes the video or a audio description.

Common mistakes

  • Audio-only content that communicates information does not have a text transcript;
  • Video-only content that communicates information does not have a text transcript or an audio description;
  • The text transcript for audio-only content does not include all spoken dialogue and sound effects;
  • The text transcript for video-only content does not include descriptions of all important visual information;
  • The text transcript for audio-only or video-only content is not clearly labelled as such.
  • The audio description for video-only content does not include descriptions of all important visual information;

Useful resources