Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element. This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ASCII art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
- Short text equivalents for images should be provided by using special attributes (e.g. the “alt” attribute in IMG element).
- Links with the same text should be distinguished by specifying a different value for the "title" attribute of each A element.
- Alternatives for time-based media must be provided.
- Text alternatives for mark-up tags and attributes should be provided where applicable.
- Equivalents for dynamic content must be updated when the dynamic content changes.
Video and Audio Clips
Audio and video content can be inaccessible to deaf and hearing impaired users. Providing a text equivalent is important for these users but also beneficial to others for example, users in a noisy environment.
- Government websites should provide equivalent information of audio/video clips (eg: a text description of the audio/video), allowing users with and without vision impairment to review content with equal ease.
- All important audio/video clips should be accompanied with captions for the benefit of hearing impaired or those who do not have access to audio. Captions must not only include dialogue, but identify who is speaking, and include non-speech information conveyed through sound, including meaningful sound effects.
Accessible controls
- When providing audio or video on a website, accessible controls should be provided to allow users (including keyboard and screen reader users) to interact with the video playback controls.