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Writing Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Writing for Accessibility

Welcome to this deeper-dive series of blog posts! I’ll be digging in to some accessibility topics that relate to my presentations on accessibility, with the goal of providing you with information and resources to make your workplace more accessible. The third post in this series is on Writing Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions. (Did you miss the others on ALT Text and Readability?)

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In Summary

When we talk about making videos and audio easier for everyone to use, we focus on three main things: captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions. Captions are like subtitles that show up on a video screen. They display what people are saying and important sounds. A transcript is a full written version of everything said and important sounds in a video or audio recording. It tells you who is speaking and when certain sounds happen. Audio descriptions are for people who can't see well. They're like a narrator who describes important things happening on screen that aren't explained by the talking, like what someone is doing, where they are, or their facial expressions.

group of 3 logos - mentimeter, poll everywhere, and ahaslides

Accessible Presentation Software

I asked a question to the collective wisdom of my LinkedIn connections recently, and it sparked a great conversation and research into accessible presentation software. Here’s what I found comparing accessibility features of some of the major presentation software platforms: AhaSlides, Poll Everywhere, Mentimeter, and Slido.

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In Summary

We reviewed how easy presentation programs are for people with disabilities to use. We looked at AhaSlides, Poll Everywhere, Mentimeter, and Slido. Overall, Poll Everywhere impressed us. However, we're sticking with Mentimeter for now. It seems to be the best for making full presentations that everyone can use.

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Writing for Readability

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Writing for Accessibility

Welcome to this deeper-dive series of blog posts! I’ll be digging in to some accessibility topics that relate to my presentations on accessibility, with the goal of providing you with information and resources to make your workplace more accessible. The second post in this series is on Writing for Readability. (Did you miss the first post on Writing ALT Text?)

Read More »Writing for Readability

In Summary

Readability means writing clearly and simply so everyone can easily understand. This is important because it helps people with reading challenges, those using screen readers, or even people learning the language. You can make your writing more readable by using easy words and short sentences and paragraphs. Organizing text with headings or bullet points helps too. There are even online tools that can check how easy your writing is to understand.

magnifying glass investigate

Myths About Accessibility and Disabilities

In this post, I want to dispel some common myths about accessibility and disabilities. You may have heard some of these statements before!

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In Summary

Some people think you can always tell if someone has a disability, but actually, many disabilities aren't obvious. Many think that making things easy for everyone to use is too much work. In fact, designing things to be accessible from the beginning helps everyone. It's also usually cheaper and easier to do it right from the start. This way, websites and online tools are usable for all.

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What’s the Difference between Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion?

What’s the difference between accessibility, usability, and inclusion? I’m so glad you asked! This topic comes up a lot when discovering the world of accessibility, and these topics intersect and apply in different ways depending on your goals. I’d love to share a few definitions and sources I’ve found helpful.

Read More »What’s the Difference between Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion?

In Summary

Accessibility means making sure websites and online tools work for people with disabilities. You either do it right, or you don't. Usability means making things easy for everyone to use. But sometimes, even if something is easy for most people, it's still hard for someone with a disability. Inclusion is about making sure everyone feels welcome and can be part of things, no matter what. So, accessibility is about following rules to make sure disabled people can use things. It's a "yes" or "no" answer. Usability and inclusion are more about making sure everyone feels good using something and like they belong.