Writing On-Screen Text in Audio Descriptions
Writing On-Screen Text in Audio Descriptions records a distinct W3C-supported accessibility writing task while keeping implementation mechanics outside the writing guidance.
Include the information from important on-screen text in the main audio or description when viewers need that text to understand the video.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
The wording does not always need to be verbatim, but it must preserve the information conveyed by the text; do not read incidental text that is irrelevant to understanding.
Further guidance
Content
Include the information conveyed by important on-screen titles, names, links, addresses, labels, or presentation text when the existing audio does not already communicate it.
Practical Application
Include important on-screen words when viewers need them to follow the story, instruction, identity, location, or argument; prioritize text that carries meaning rather than reading every decorative or redundant word.
Purpose
Making necessary on-screen text available in audio prevents essential written information from being lost to people who cannot see the video.
Reader Check
Would missing this on-screen text cause an audio-only listener to lose information needed to understand what happens next?
Worked Example
If a silent title card reads “Three months later,” include that wording in the description; a decorative brand word already spoken in dialogue may not need separate repetition.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Description of Visual Information (opens in a new tab)World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) · W3C WAI guidance for writing descriptions of visual information needed to understand video.