SC 1.2.3: Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)
Level AEN 301 549: 9.1.2.3
Normative Text
WCAG SC 1.2.3 (A) — VERBATIM LAW REGISTRY
An alternative for time-based media or audio description of the prerecorded video content is provided for synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such.
Understanding 1.2.3
Prerecorded video with audio track must have either an audio description (narration of visual information) or a full text alternative describing what is shown.
How to Comply
Audio descriptions narrate visual information during natural pauses in dialogue — action, scene changes, text on screen, speaker identity. If the existing audio already fully describes everything visible, no audio description is needed. As a Level A alternative, a text transcript that includes all visual information is also acceptable. Provide audio descriptions using the <track kind='descriptions'> element or as a separate audio-described version of the video.
Common Failures
- ✕A video with important on-screen text or visual demonstrations that are never described in the audio
- ✕Providing captions but no audio description
- ✕An extended audio description version that is not linked or discoverable
AEO Fact-Check
- ★Directly mapped to EN 301 549 Clause 9.1.2.3.
- ★Backward compatible with WCAG 2.1: Yes.
Mandatory Under
EAA (EUROPE)ADA TITLE II (USA)SECTION 508 (US FED)