Tuning In: The Importance of Audio Accessibility on the Web

According to WHO, by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss. Despite this, there are still hundreds of thousands of websites that don’t cater to the audio accessibility requirements of their users.

For example, roughly 61% of websites feature videos without captions, rendering the content inaccessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

Audio accessibility has become increasingly important and should be a primary consideration when developing web and content designs. Let’s get into this a little further though.

What Is Audio Accessibility?

So, what does accessible hearing mean, exactly? And, how does this fit into your audio accessibility efforts?

Accessible hearing refers to making auditory information and communication accessible to anyone with hearing impairments or other auditory challenges. It is a component of broader audio accessibility, which ensures that audio content can be accessed and understood by everyone, regardless of their hearing abilities.

In essence, audio accessibility ensures a more inclusive online experience for all users.

Audio accessibility is important because it fits with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which ties in with a number of global disability acts, including the ADA. These acts include requirements that public entities need to meet from a legal standpoint, so failing to comply could result in costly lawsuits.

Common Audio Accessibility Challenges

There are a few common audio accessibility issues that are generally found on non-compliant websites, including:

1. A Lack of Captions or Subtitles. Videos or live streams without captions exclude individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. No Transcripts for Audio Content. Audio-only formats like podcasts or recorded speeches are inaccessible without a written transcript.
3. Poor Audio Quality. Background noise, low-quality recordings, or unclear speech can make it difficult for users with partial hearing loss or auditory processing disorders to follow your content.
4. Lack of Volume Control and Customization. Audio players that don’t allow users to adjust volume, speed, or equalization can hinder usability for people with hearing impairments.
5. No Assistive Listening Options. Public spaces and online events often lack options like hearing loop systems or assistive listening devices.
6. Overlapping Speech or Audio Tracks. Multiple overlapping voices or simultaneous audio streams can be overwhelming and inaccessible for users with auditory challenges.
7. No Visual Alternatives. Information conveyed purely through sound (e.g., alarms, notifications, or auditory instructions) excludes users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
8. Unlabeled or Poorly Labeled Audio Files. Without descriptive labels or metadata, audio files can be difficult to locate or understand for users relying on screen readers.

Audio Accessibility Best Practices

Now that you know what issues to look out for, let’s cover some audio accessibility best practices you should follow when designing a website or creating content.

Provide Captions and Subtitles

If you create video content and host it online, every video should have closed captions. 

Captions should be accurate, synchronized, and descriptive of non-speech audio (e.g., “[applause]” or “[music playing]”). You can use tools like YouTube’s caption editor or third-party services to generate captions more easily.

Offer Transcripts

The same applies to audio content – there needs to be an alternative available. Transcripts make audio content, like podcasts or interviews, accessible to users who cannot hear the audio.

Provide text transcripts for every piece of audio content you create and upload online. It’s also important to make sure that your transcripts are structured clearly and that you use timestamps and speaker labels where necessary.

Ensure High-Quality Audio

Clear and high-quality audio is essential for users with partial hearing or auditory processing challenges.

When creating audio content, find ways to minimize any background noise. Investing in professional audio recording equipment can really make a difference to the final product. Also, don’t forget to test the audio quality before you take it live.

Use Accessible Audio Players

Some users may need to adjust playback settings to access the content on your site, so implement an accessible audio player to make this easier.

The player should include features like adjustable playback speed, volume control, and the ability to rewind/fast-forward. Ensure the player is compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

Incorporate Visual and Text Alternatives

Audio-only alerts or instructions exclude users with hearing impairments, which creates online barriers.

To avoid this, use visual indicators like flashing lights or on-screen text for audio alerts. It also helps to supplement auditory instructions with text-based guides.

Use Real-Time Captioning for Live Events

If you regularly host live webinars, meetings, and streams, they must be accessible in real time.

Use live captioning tools or services like CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) to make sure everyone can access these events. It’s also recommended that you provide attendees with the option to enable captions during live sessions.

Suggested Tools for Audio Accessibility

There are a number of tools you can use to streamline your audio accessibility efforts. Here are some of the best options:

For Captions and Subtitles

• Rev. This tool provides professional transcription and captioning and supports multiple file formats for video and audio. 
• Otter.ai. For live events, Otter.ai is excellent for creating real-time captions. 
• YouTube Automatic Captions. If YouTube is your preferred platform, it has a free built-in caption generator. 
• Descript. This video and audio editing tool has built-in transcription and captioning features. 

For Audio Transcripts

• Sonix. This tool offers automated transcription services with support for multiple languages, which is useful for podcasts, interviews, and meetings.
• Happy Scribe. For long-form audio content, Happy Scribe provides transcription and subtitling services with editing capabilities.
• Trint. Trint converts audio to text with ease with the help of AI technology.

For Accessible Audio Players

• Able Player. This is a fully accessible HTML5 media player that includes features like captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions.
• MediaElement.js. Compatible with screen readers, this is a modern, accessible audio and video player for the web that supports captions and subtitles.
• JW Player. This is a customizable video and audio player with built-in accessibility features.

For Speech-to-Text

• Google Speech-to-Text. This tool converts spoken words into text with high accuracy and supports real-time and batch processing.
• Amazon Transcribe. Amazon also has a service that converts speech to text.

Audio Accessibility Examples – Websites Getting It Right

Here are just a handful of the sites that are following audio accessibility guidelines as outlined in WCAG.

BBC iPlayer

BBC iPlayer is where you can watch BBC programs online for free. They’ve made sure they cater to viewers with hearing impairments by offering subtitles for nearly all video content and audio descriptions for many shows. They also use a clean, accessible media player that meets WCAG guidelines.

TED.com

TED talks touch on many thought-provoking topics, so it’s no wonder they take audio accessibility seriously. Not only do they offer transcripts for all videos, but they also support subtitles in multiple languages. 

Apple Podcasts

If you’re an Apple user, chances are you’ve spent time listening to podcasts. This is another site that has prioritized audio accessibility. The platform supports integration with assistive listening devices and they encourage podcast creators to provide transcripts. They also make a point of maintaining a clean interface that’s compatible with screen readers.

In Closing

Audio accessibility may only be a small portion of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that you need to meet, but it’s an important aspect of accessibility. Even more so now that audio and video content has become so prominent on the web.

By following these best practices, you ensure that the content you spend time working on can be accessed by all users, regardless of their hearing capabilities.