1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)

1. What is the goal of this criterion?

A video is often more than its soundtrack: facial expressions, gestures, scene changes, on-screen text or important actions – all of these carry content. For blind and visually impaired users, this information stays invisible unless it’s explicitly described.

That’s why WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.5 at Level AA makes sure prerecorded videos with picture and sound get audio description. Visual content becomes accessible to people who can’t see it – through speech.

2. What exactly does it require?

If a prerecorded video contains sound and picture, there has to be a spoken description of the important visual content – fitted around the existing soundtrack.

This audio description conveys:

• actions and movements,
• facial expressions and gestures,
• visual elements such as graphics, on-screen text and objects,
• relevant scene changes or settings.

The description runs in the pauses in dialogue so it doesn’t drown out the existing sound. The result is a complete picture of the video you can take in by ear – no sight required.

Unlike Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) at Level A, a text version alone isn’t enough here: at Level AA it has to be audio description. That said, if all important visual information is already in the spoken audio, there’s nothing extra to describe.

3. Why does it matter for accessibility?

A film where you “have to see what happens” can’t be experienced by blind people without description. Even a video that’s narrated throughout can contain visual details that matter – a chart on screen, say, or a scene without words.

Audio description makes sure that:

• blind and visually impaired people can follow the content on equal terms,
• people with cognitive disabilities also benefit from images explained in words,
• important information isn’t lost just because it’s presented visually,
• media content becomes more versatile – usable by listening alone.

Audio description creates inclusion – not as an afterthought, but as a fixed part of good video production.

4. How to meet the criterion

Good audio description takes sensitivity, language skills and a bit of planning. Here are a few tips:

1. Think about it during production

• Plan pauses in the video where descriptions can fit.
• Have the people on screen name what they’re showing (“Here’s the dashboard with three key figures”) – that saves on descriptions.

2. Describe with purpose

• Describe key visual moments – for example: “The host holds up an apple and points to a chart showing calorie values.”
• Stay neutral and precise: describe, don’t interpret.
• Use clear language – in the same language as the video.

3. Add the audio description

• Use multitrack audio production to place the description in the pauses.
• There are specialist providers for described versions as well as tools like YouDescribe that help with the work.
• Offer a choice: one version with and one without audio description, or a switchable audio track in the player.
• If the pauses aren’t long enough, Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) at Level AAA helps – the video is paused to make room for descriptions.

4. Check the quality

• Test the video with people who use audio description regularly.
• Make sure no content gets lost and the descriptions fit the soundtrack.

5. Why this criterion matters for businesses

Audio description adds value – not just for individual audiences, but for your whole digital offering:

1. Make inclusion the standard

You make your video content accessible to everyone – and strengthen your position as a responsible company.

2. Implement accessibility systematically

If you’ve only been offering a text alternative for 1.2.3 (Level A), 1.2.5 is the next step: with audio description you meet both criteria at once and reach Level AA.

3. Keep people engaged

A video with audio description can be followed in the background too – while cooking or on the go, when your eyes aren’t on the screen.

And then there’s the law: since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act has applied to many consumer products and services; Germany implements it through the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG). The benchmark is EN 301 549, which refers to WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content – 1.2.5 is part of it. Public sector bodies have their own obligations. (General information, not legal advice.)

6. The success criterion in the W3C’s words

Success Criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (Level AA)

Audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media.

In short: every prerecorded video with picture and sound needs audio description of its important visual content.