Captioning

1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded) (A)

All pre-recorded synchronized media must have captions. Captions provide an onscreen textual representation of all the meaningful content in the audio track.

Note that if the media presents high-stakes information or services, it must have captions when it is published. If it does not present high-stakes content, it must make captions available within ten business days of its publication to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to the meaningful audio content of synchronized media.

Test at the same time

1.2.1  Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded)

Exceptions

When synchronized media is a media alternative for text and clearly labelled as such.

How to test

1. Open the web page to be tested.
2. Look through the page for any synchronized media content.
3. Play the media. Check that:

• • All meaningful content in the audio track is available in captions;
  • The captions provide an accurate rendition of the meaningful audio content;
  • If captions are unavailable, the media was published less than ten business days ago and did not present high-stakes content.

Potential access issues

• The synchronized media content is high-stakes and has no captions.
• The synchronized media is over ten business days old and has no captions.
• The captions don’t provide an accurate rendition of the meaningful audio information. (Note that automated captioning, e.g. that offered by YouTube, usually cannot be relied on to provide sufficient accuracy in the New Zealand context.)

1.2.4 Captions (Live) (AA)

Note that live synchronized media left on a website becomes pre-recorded and needs to be tested against 1.2.1 Audio/Video only (pre-recorded), regardless of whether or not it presents high-stakes content to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to the meaningful audio content of real-time synchronized media.

Test at the same time

1.2.1  Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded)

Exceptions

• When the synchronized media delivers high-stakes content.
• When the equivalent information or services are simultaneously published as text.

How to test

1. Open the web page to be tested.
2. Look through the page for any live synchronized media content.
3. Play the media. If it presents high-stakes material, check that:

• • All meaningful content in the audio track is available in captions;
  • The captions provide an accurate rendition of the meaningful audio content.

Potential access issues

• The synchronized media is high-stakes and has no captions.