Offering Accessibility Options to Boost Reach
Nowadays, videos are a major part of everyday life. According to invideo, in 2020, “96% of consumers increased their online video consumption and…as of 2022, an average person is predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos.” Between YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and even personal websites, videos are everywhere and contain everything imaginable. More and more viewers want to see more videos from brands and businesses. Videos can review or advertise products, provide tips and tricks for everyday tasks, or introduce viewers to new subcultures or content. The sky’s the limit.
But keeping video accessibility in mind is key when creating your own videos. Whether the viewer is hard of hearing, has mobility issues, or suffers from visual impairment, watching videos can be a chore. To address this, there are several ways to make videos accessible to everyone, no matter who they are.
What’s the Law?
In 1973, Congress passed the Rehabilitation Act, prohibiting discrimination based on disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, programs receiving federal financial assistance, or federal employment. A subsection of this act, section 508, covered information technology, requiring federal agencies’ information and communication technology to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Section 508 ensures everyone has access to the same information, even if the source delivers that information in a slightly different way. This is crucial for those living with disabilities, as it allows them access to information that may otherwise be difficult for them to reach.
What are Disabilities?
It’s easy to say “disability” but it’s important to define the term in the context of laws like section 508. The dictionary definition of a disability is a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. More than 10 million people receive Social Security because of a disability today. With that many people on disability, if you’re not working towards making your video content accessible for them, you’re missing out on a large viewer base.
There are several conditions that qualify a person as disabled, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s diseases, neuralgia, blindness, and hearing loss. While there are certainly more conditions, all of these can make watching and enjoying videos difficult.
Improving access to your video content not only helps viewers who have disabilities engage with your material, it makes them feel welcome and gives them the chance to enjoy themselves. Improving access in the physical world can lead to increased quality of life, more independence, and better social integration. Why not do the same in the digital world?
How to Make Videos Accessible
Now you know how important it is to make your videos accessible—but how do you do it? There are a number of helpful websites to guide you through this process, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Section 508 website. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have 3 levels of guidelines. Level A means your website is at least 80% compliant and level AAA means your website is 100% compliant.
Accessibility Options
The below is a list to help you start making your videos accessible and 508 compliant:
- Add captions: there are both closed captions separate from the video that can be turned on or off, and open captions directly in the video itself. These can’t be turned off and are good for social media videos since viewers will be able to see them as they’re looking at their feeds. Captions should follow the sound they’re captioning as well as ensure all important audio information is captured.
- Provide transcripts: transcripts provide an alternative to the video without sacrificing any information. They should ideally identify the speaker, ensure all speech is included, and include relevant non-speech audio.
- Audio descriptions: these are added into the video by a narrator when there’s a non-speaking part to tell the viewer what’s going on. This helps those who have difficulty seeing what’s going on in the video by adding spoken context. They should sufficiently describe the visual information and be concise but not cut out anything important.
- Accessible video players: your video can be captioned and have a transcript, but without an accessible player, that hard work may be for nothing. An accessible player can:
- Be controlled with only a keyboard or a mouse
- Not automatically play when the page loads, or allow the video to be paused at the start
- Present options to pause and adjust the volume
- Have obvious player controls in contrasting colors for visibility
In addition, it’s helpful to use colors thoughtfully. Any color coding you use should have clear contrast, so they’re easily seen. We all know the headache that comes from looking at white letters in front of a light background or dark letters in front of a dark background. Also, keep your text easy to read: large enough to be seen and on-screen long enough to be read easily. Avoid fast-flashing content. Fast flashing, 3 flashes in a 1-second period can provoke seizures in some viewers.
Why is Accessibility Important?
Making videos accessible for people with disabilities can be a lot of work. Why is it important if people without disabilities can watch them just fine? There are two important reasons.
It is entirely possible that those without disabilities can’t watch your videos comfortably. Too-small text, unintuitive user interface, and distracting backgrounds can annoy anyone, and potentially put them off your content. If you accidentally annoy your viewer or they find your controls counterintuitive, they’ll stop watching. Creating an accessible video makes the experience pleasant for everyone.
The second reason is that by making your videos accessible and enjoyable to everyone, you can reach a much larger audience who will stay for longer videos and come back for more content. That’s a huge boost to the algorithm!
Video algorithms calculate how many people watch your videos. More people view your videos if they receive a warm reception, creating a cycle of viewership. The more people that watch your videos, the more people potentially will buy your products. This creates a boost to your viewer base is a boost to your potential sales. If you don’t make your video content accessible, you’re potentially cutting out a large portion of viewers. This hurts your chances for increased visibility—and increased sales.
Content for All
People with disabilities can and should be able to enjoy videos as well as people without disabilities. It only takes a little extra work and forethought to make your videos accessible and the rewards can be great. Keep in mind the checklist while making your videos and have fun.
For more information on video marketing and how to use videos to help your business, be sure to check out Petra’s blog on video content here.
Petra also has several products to help with making your videos, such as vlogging equipment, ring lights, and most importantly, cameras. For all your video needs or to see more products, visit order.petra.com.