508 Compliance and Your Video Production Business

Section 508 compliance is a set of standards designed to maximize the accessibility of digital media and information technology for people with disabilities. This has a few important impacts on the video production industry. Examples of 508 compliance for video include:

• Captions and video transcription.
• Audio descriptions.
• No flickering, flashing, or strobing elements.
• Use of a 508 compliant video player.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?
While 508 compliance is not mandated by law for private businesses, it is a requirement for all federal agencies. As such, if your video production company wishes to do business with a government agency, they will likely require all video you produce for them to be completely 508 compliant. Additionally, census data indicates that 19% of all US citizens suffer from some type of disability. Ensuring that your videos are 508 compliant will help your business cater to a wider demographic.

Captions and Audio Descriptions
Captions, video transcription, and audio descriptions are a key component for 508 compliance. While similar, they serve different functions and help make video accessible for people suffering from different disabilities. Captions are used to provide accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing by displaying the text of a video transcript in synchronization with all audio. Audio descriptions serve a similar function for blind individuals. These descriptions translate the video into audio to convey information that would be impossible to understand otherwise. This is a key element for instructional and informational videos which otherwise depend heavily on visual information.

Flickering, Flashing, and Strobing Elements
For a video to be 508 compliant, it must be free of all flickering, flashing, and strobing elements. While this may be easier to accomplish than extensive video transcription, it is still extremely important. These elements can cause seizures, nausea, and dizziness in a portion of viewers suffering from conditions such as epilepsy. Additionally, these elements can also be extremely distracting, making your videos difficult to view for individuals with certain cognitive disabilities.

Use a 508 Compliant Video Player
If you're planning on posting and distributing your videos over the internet, you must use a 508 compliant video player. This step is crucial, as an otherwise 508 compliant video will be rendered useless if its player is not able to take advantage of accessibility features. It should be noted that many popular video players, such as YouTube, are not completely 508 compliant. However, there are several 508 compliant alternatives available, for example:

• Longtail’s JWPlayer - Supports both closed captions and audio descriptions
• The WorkShop Media Player - Free accessible player with no add-ons required
• Drupal’s MediaFront module/OSM Player - An open source player that is part of the Open Video Player Project and can be used with Drupal
• Kaltura
• Brightcove

For more information on making your online videos 508 complaint visit: https://www.speakertext.com/why