object for audio must have alternative

Rule ID Audio 2
Definition object elements used for audio only must have caption or text transcription of the audio content.
Purpose
  • Captions and text transcripts provide a means for people cannot hear the audio to understand the audio content.
  • Some types of learning disabilities affect speech perception, captions and text transcripts provide an alternative way to understand the audio content.
  • When the language of the audio is different than the native language of the listener, captions and text transcripts support the listner in understanding the audio content.
Mappings
  • HTML4 Legacy Techniques (Required)
  • HTML5 and ARIA Techniques (Required)
WCAG Success Criteria

1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (Level A, Primary Success Criterion)

Rule Category Audio/Video
Scope Element
Target Resources object elements
  • object
Techniques
  • Use the audio element instead of the object element for audio only content, since the audio element provides better support for captions and text transcripts.
  • Use aria-describedby attribute to point to a text description of the audio only content.
Manual Checks
  • Check the web page for a link to a text transcript of the audio, or if the transcript is part of the page rendering the audio.
  • Check the media player for a button to turn on and off captions.
  • When captions are enabled on the media player, check to make sure the captions visible and represent the speech and sounds heard on the audio.
  • In some cases "open" captions might be used, this means the captions are alway "on" as part of the video.
Informational Links