Recorded audio needs a transcript
- Rule:
axe/audio-caption - Checks: <audio> elements must have a captions track
- WCAG: 1.2.1
- Fix class:
manual: A fix needs a person to work out what to change, beyond authored text or a visual decision.
Who it affects
Section titled “Who it affects”- People who are deaf or hard of hearing.
How to fix it
Section titled “How to fix it”Recorded speech or meaningful sound has no text version
Section titled “Recorded speech or meaningful sound has no text version”Publish a transcript on the same page, or behind a clearly named link beside the player. It must hold what is said, who says it, and the sounds that matter, written or checked against the recording itself.
<audio controls src="episode-12.mp3"></audio><p><a href="/podcast/episode-12/transcript">Transcript of episode 12</a></p>axe asks for review because the <audio> has no captions track
Section titled “axe asks for review because the <audio> has no captions track”Check that a transcript sits next to the player, or that the audio repeats text already on the page and says so. Either meets WCAG 1.2.1, and no track is needed.
Fixes that fail
Section titled “Fixes that fail”Adding a <track kind="captions"> to the <audio> element
Section titled “Adding a <track kind="captions"> to the <audio> element”axe accepts it, but browsers do not display text tracks for <audio>, so people who cannot hear the audio see nothing. Provide a transcript.
Publishing a machine transcript without checking it
Section titled “Publishing a machine transcript without checking it”Speech recognition gets names, terms and speakers wrong and leaves out meaningful sounds. Check it against the recording before publishing.
More on the rule
Section titled “More on the rule”axe-core’s documentation of the rule
CORA’s fix guidance adapts content from accessibility-agents, under the MIT License: see its notice.