Hi Everyone! I’m new here and this is my first post. We (in Canada) have just been told that we need to add Descriptive Video to our Captivate eLearning Modules. These modules are being used internally and not public facing, so do we really need to add Descriptive Video? And how can you add it to a module that already has narration?
Thank you.
Thanks Paul and Emily, such helpful insight as usual
Nancy, I would keep it simple and make sure that there is a narration in your videos that describes any action that appears on the screen. Even though Captivate doesn’t have the option for supplemental audio tracks for the purposes of descriptive video, making sure that your videos are inclusive for persons with poor vision should be enough to satisfy the requirement.
I have created US government compliance training in the past which requires descriptive video and Captivate is more than capable of handling that requirement. Basically for anything where you presently have a video, you’d edit it in your preferred software (Premiere?) and add another audio track with the description. This doesn’t need to be included in the closed captioning since those are for different accessibility requirements (visual for descriptive, auditory for closed captioning). Like Paul Wilson said, the Canadian Government website goes into lots of depth about requirements.
As for whether you should be required to do it or not, if you’re being asked to by your management, why do you not want to? If there is a need in your organization to meet this accessibility standard, you should.
Your explanation is for a ‘passive’ video, not for an interactive Captivate course. Even the explanation of Paul goes in that sense.
I don’t think it matters Lieve. Descriptive video is merely supplemental audio that explains what’s happening on screen. While there is no technical function built in to Captivate to accommodate this, you merely need to make sure the audio in your videos is inclusive for persons with a visual disability that may not be able to see all the actions occurring on-screen. I don’t see how interactive video or just interactive eLearning, in general, would prevent this. It wouldn’t be too difficult to add this capability in future versions of Adobe Captivate. I think I will submit this as a feature for future releases of Adobe Captivate.
If you are located in Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act comes into effect on January 1, 2021. There is some training from the Ontario Human Rights Commission on what the requirements are and what you must do to accommodate. Interestingly enough their own training doesn’t include descriptive video. My understanding is that descriptive video is required for broadcast television and movie theatres, but I’m far from an expert. Learn more at the following link. If you are in another province check your provincial site and see what’s required.
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/learning/working-together-code-and-aoda
Hi Lieve, this is a good description of what a descriptive video is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_description#:~:text=Audio%20description%2C%20also%20referred%20to,the%20benefit%20of%20blind%20and
Thanks Michael, but that seems to be for video in museum, not for eLearning. Accessibility for visual impaired users in eLearning is done with CC, although it is an illusion to say that the eLearning course will then be of the same efficiency. Another course may be suited more. Remember from my career in university college that I had a blind student. Curriculum included an Introduction to Photoshop. As head of department I decided to replace that course by an Audition course (which I taught her in a One to One situation). Some laws are rather crazy.
Yes, I agree. But if that is their requirement. That is their requirement. Descriptive audio and captioning can be done in the production of the video itself as well as in the captivate captions. Rather than show the video with descriptive audio, I would provide an alternative, like Lieve suggested for users who need that form of accessibility.
Who is telling you to add it? If it is your customer, then you need to do it? If it is someone who is simply providing feedback, then it is up to you. I am confused by your question.
What do they mean by ‘descriptive video’? You can add closed captioning to Captivate’s normal slides and to video inserted as slide video. That may be all you need.
Requirement for normal slides to set up CC is the need of slide audio. Since you have slide audio, it is perfectly possible to add CC. You will need to do this in the cptx-file and republish.
hmmm. What are the requirements for the descriptions? Can they be added to the captioning? Or does the video audio need to be descriptive? I would almost broach the topic to see if you can branch-off and create a separate version for those needing descriptive audio.
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