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VPAT Checklist - Images and Visual Design

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Multimedia, Animations, and Motion

Accessibility Techniques for Audio and Video
Topic Technique WCAG AA Requirement
Prerecorded Audio-Only Captions: Prerecorded video-only content MUST have synchronized captions. Required WCAG 1.2.2
Transcript: All prerecorded audio MUST have a transcript of dialog, narration, and other meaningful sounds. Required WCAG 1.2.1
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Audio Control: A mechanism MUST be provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds. Required WCAG 1.4.2
Sign Language: Prerecorded audio-only content MAY include sign language interpretation. Best Practice  
Background Sounds: Background sounds in prerecorded audio-only content SHOULD be minimized (20dB lower than foreground sounds, except for occasional sounds of no more than 2 seconds) or eliminated during narration or dialog, or a method must be available to turn off background sounds. Best Practice  
Prerecorded Video-Only (and video-like animations) Alternative Text: Prerecorded video-only MUST include a text description. Required WCAG 1.2.1
Captions: Prerecorded video-only content MUST have synchronized captions. Required WCAG 1.2.2
Audio Description: Prerecorded video-only content MUST include an audio description (narrated video description) of important visual content. Required WCAG 1.2.5
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Flashing Content: A page MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
Prerecorded Multimedia Alternative Text: Prerecorded video-only MUST include a text description of important visual content that is not conveyed through the audio (this can be included in the transcript). Required WCAG 1.2.1
Transcript: Prerecorded video-only MUST have a text transcript of dialog, narration, and other meaningful sounds. Required WCAG 1.2.1
Captions: Prerecorded video-only content MUST have synchronized captions. Required WCAG 1.2.2
Audio Description: Prerecorded video-only content MUST include an audio description (narrated video description) of important visual content. Required WCAG 1.2.5
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Audio Control: A mechanism MUST be provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds. Required WCAG 1.4.2
Flashing Content: A page MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
Sign Language: Prerecorded video-only content MAY include sign language interpretation. Best Practice  
Background Sounds: Background sounds in prerecorded audio-only and prerecorded multimedia content SHOULD be minimized (20dB lower than foreground sounds, except for occasional sounds of no more than 2 seconds) or eliminated during narration or dialog, or a method must be available to turn off background sounds. Best Practice  
Live Audio-Only Audio Control: A mechanism MUST be provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds. Required WCAG 1.4.2
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Background Sounds: Background sounds in live audio-only content SHOULD be minimized (20dB lower than foreground sounds, except for occasional sounds of no more than 2 seconds) or eliminated during narration or dialog, or a method must be available to turn off background sounds. Best Practice  
Captions: Live audio-only content SHOULD have synchronized captions. Best Practice  
Live Video-Only Captions: Live video-only content MUST have synchronized captions. Required WCAG 1.2.4
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Flashing Content: Live video-only content MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
Alternative Text: Live video-only MUST include a text description. Required WCAG 1.2.1
Audio Description: Live video-only content SHOULD include an audio description (narrated video description) of important visual content. Best Practice  
Live Multimedia Captions: Live multimedia content MUST have synchronized captions. Required WCAG 1.2.4
Audio Control: A mechanism MUST be provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds. Required WCAG 1.4.2
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Background Sounds: Background sounds in live multimedia content SHOULD be minimized (20dB lower than foreground sounds, except for occasional sounds of no more than 2 seconds) or eliminated during narration or dialog, or a method must be available to turn off background sounds. Best Practice  
Flashing Content: A page MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
Audio Description: Live multimedia content SHOULD include an audio description (narrated video description) of important visual content. Best Practice  
Page Background Sounds Audio Control: A mechanism MUST be provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds. Required WCAG 1.4.2
Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
If Informative: If the background sounds contain informative content, all of the requirements for prerecorded audio-only content apply (see above). depends
Page Background Video Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Flashing Content: A page MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
See the requirements for color contrast (for text and UI elements overlayed on top of video). Required WCAG 1.4.3
If Informative: If the background video contains informative content, all of the requirements for prerecorded video-only content apply (see above). depends
Media Players

Media players themselves MUST be fully accessible (in particular to keyboard users and screen reader users). See the requirements for:

  • Media player keyboard accessibility
  • Media player screen reader accessibility
  • Captions, transcripts, audio descriptions within the media player
  • User customization options within the media player
  • See also the requirements for Forms, User Input, and Validation
  • See also the requirements for Custom Widgets (JavaScript)
 Required Multiple
Accessibility Techniques for Animation, Motion, and Timed Content
Topic Technique WCAG AA Requirement
Audio and Video See the audio and video requirements. Required Multiple
Flashing Flashing: A page MUST NOT contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second unless that flashing content is sufficiently small, the flashes are of low contrast, and do not violate general flash thresholds. Required WCAG 2.3.1
Parallax Effects (backgrounds or foregrounds that move separately from each other) Keyboard-Accessible: All content and features within parallax scrolling content MUST be accessible by keyboard. Required WCAG 2.1.1
Text Color Contrast: The contrast of the text against all parts of a moving background MUST be a minimum of 4.5 to 1 for small text or 3 to 1 for large or bold text. Required WCAG 1.4.3
UI Component Color Contrast: The contrast of UI control boundaries compared to adjacent areas SHOULD be 3 to 1 to distinguish the UI control from the adjacent areas. Required WCAG 1.4.11 (WCAG 2.1)
User Control of Timing Autoplay: A method MUST be provided to pause, stop, or hide any media content that begins playing automatically and which lasts 5 seconds or more. Required WCAG 2.2.2
Time Limits: A method MUST be provided to allow users to control time limits by turning them off, adjusting them, or extending them (unless the timing is essential or if the time limit is longer than 20 hours). Required WCAG 2.2.1
Replay Option: A method SHOULD be provided to allow users to replay timed content that is finished or expired (unless replaying the content fundamentally alters its purpose or meaning). Best Practice