Web Accessibility for Charities: Using time-based media
13 April 2026
A Digital Dispatch by Sian Jamieson, Partnership Lead
If you’ve been following along with our website accessibility series, you’ll know we’ve been building this up step by step, exploring practical ways to make digital content more inclusive.
In this part, we’re focusing on using time-based media, one of the most overlooked areas of website accessibility, and one that’s becoming increasingly important as video, audio, and interactive content take centre stage online.
So far, we’ve explored:
Each one focuses on a different way people experience the web, and where choices can unintentionally exclude people.
This time, we’re looking at something that underpins a lot of modern content: video, audio, animations, and live streams, and how to make sure everyone can access them.
What is time-based media?
Time-based media is anything that unfolds over time:
- Videos
- Audio (podcasts, voice notes)
- Animations
- Live streams
The core idea: if your content relies on sound, visuals, or timing, you may need to provide another way to access the same information.
This is where accessibility can slip. Because the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are essentially saying:
- Don’t rely on time, sound, and visuals alone,
- Provide an alternative way to access the content.
If someone can’t hear, see, or follow the timing, they should still be able to understand what you’re sharing.
What are the WCAG recommendations (and what is W3C)?
The guidance comes from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the organisation that sets international standards for how the web should work. Within that, WCAG 2.2 explains how to make time-based media accessible.
The intention is straightforward: make audio, video, and interactive media accessible to everyone, whether it’s live or pre-recorded.
That includes:
- Audio-only content
- Video-only content
- Video with sound
- Interactive media
The key principle running through all of it is simple, provide equivalent access to the same information.
The 3 common scenarios
1. Audio-only (e.g. podcast, voice clip)
The concern: If someone is deaf or hard of hearing, they receive none of the content.
What to do: Provide a transcript.
Example:
Voice note: provide a short text summary or transcript
Podcast episode: include a full written transcript
2. Video-only (no sound)
The concern: If someone cannot see the content, they miss all of the information.
What to do:
- Add an audio description, or
- Provide a text alternative explaining what happens
Example: For a silent animation include a written explanation of what is happening.
3. Video with sound (most common)
This is where most of the work sits.
The concern: Deaf users cannot hear the audio and blind users cannot see the visuals.
What to do: You need two things:
Captions (for hearing accessibility)
- Show spoken words and important sounds,
- Example: [Music playing] “Welcome to our accessibility guide”.
Audio description (for visual accessibility)
Example: “A user struggles to find a tiny button on a cluttered website”
Describe what is happening visually,
The “golden fix” (transcripts)
WCAG recognises that sometimes:
- There is too much dialogue,
- There are not enough pauses in a video,
- Audio descriptions cannot fully capture everything.
So it allows an alternative: provide a full text version instead.
For communications teams, the most practical approach is to always provide a transcript or written alternative alongside video or audio.
Why this works:
- It supports both deaf and blind users,
- It improves search engine visibility,
- It helps people who prefer to skim content,
- It works in both noisy and silent environments.
It is one of the simplest changes you can make that delivers a high impact.
Live content (this catches people out)
If content is live (such as webinars or streams): You should use live captions.
Examples:
- Zoom webinar: enable live captions
- YouTube Live: turn on automatic captions and review where possible
Without this, live content becomes inaccessible in real time.
Good examples (what “done well” looks like)
YouTube videos with proper captions
Most videos on YouTube include captions, with better examples also including:
- Speaker labels
- Sound cues such as music or laughter
This makes content accessible and also supports users watching without sound.
Podcasts with transcripts
For example, BBC podcasts often include transcripts or summaries. This makes content searchable and accessible in multiple formats.
Common “not great” examples
Social videos without captions
- Talking head videos
- No subtitles
- Important information only spoken.
Result:
- Deaf users are excluded
- Many others will scroll past without engaging.
Case study videos without visual explanation
- Before and after comparisons
- User journeys shown visually
- No explanation in audio.
Result:
- Blind users miss key information.
W3C Levels (don’t overcomplicate this)
When people first come across WCAG, one of the things that can feel a bit intimidating is the idea of “levels”.
It can sound like you’re being graded, or that you need to reach the very top level for your website to be considered accessible.
That’s not quite how it works.
WCAG is designed to be progressive. The levels build on each other, helping organisations improve accessibility step by step, rather than expecting everything to be perfect from day one.
Think of it less like a pass/fail system, and more like layers of support you can add over time.
Level A (basic — must have)
This is the minimum standard. It covers the most essential accessibility needs.
For time-based media, that includes:
- Transcripts for audio
- Captions for video
- Some form of alternative to access the content
Without these, parts of your content may be completely inaccessible to some users.
Level AA (recommended standard)
This is the level most organisations aim for and the level expected for public sector and charity websites in law.
At this stage, accessibility becomes more robust and consistent.
For time-based media, this includes:
- Accurate captions (including for live content)
- Audio descriptions for video content
This is where you move from “something is available” to “this is genuinely usable”.
Level AAA (advanced)
This is the highest level and it’s intentionally ambitious.
It includes:
- Sign language interpretation
- Extended audio descriptions (where videos are paused to allow for more detailed explanation)
In reality, Level AAA isn’t always practical or achievable for every organisation, especially for smaller teams or regularly updated content.
If you found this useful, you might also like the other posts in our website accessibility series on Writing good alt text, Colour contrast and readability, and Neurodiversity and website accessibility.
