Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

27 results found in video accessibility.

360 Video (360-Degree Video, Spherical Video, Omnidirectional Video)
Video content recorded or rendered to capture a full spherical or panoramic field of view, allowing viewers to look in any direction by turning their head (in a VR headset) or by dragging the view (on…
AD Guidelines (Audio Description Guidelines, AD Standards)
Established rules and best practices that govern the creation of audio descriptions for video and live performances. AD guidelines cover aspects such as what to describe (actions, characters, settings…
AD Personalization (Audio Description Customization, Personalized Audio Description)
The practice of tailoring audio descriptions to individual user preferences rather than providing a one-size-fits-all narration. Personalization can include varying the level of detail (concise vs. co…
AD Timing (Audio Description Timing, AD Placement)
The process of determining when audio descriptions should be inserted into video content. Effective AD timing requires identifying natural pauses in dialogue and significant audio where descriptions c…
Audio Description (AD, Descriptive Video, Video Description, Described Video)
A narration track added to video content that describes important visual information for people who are blind or have low vision. Audio descriptions are inserted during natural pauses in dialogue and …
Audio Description Authoring (AD Authoring, AD Creation, Description Writing)
The process of writing and producing audio descriptions for video content, live performances, or other visual media. AD authoring involves watching content, identifying key visual elements, writing co…
Closed Interpreting (Closed Sign Language Interpreting)
A proposed accessibility feature for video content where a sign language interpreter video can be toggled on or off and displayed alongside the main video, analogous to closed captions for text. Unlik…
Crowdsourced Captioning (Crowd Captioning, Collaborative Captioning)
Crowdsourced captioning is an approach to creating video captions or subtitles by distributing the work across multiple contributors rather than relying on a single professional captionist. This metho…
Description Variation (AD Variation, Alternative Description)
Multiple versions of audio descriptions for the same video content, each reflecting different stylistic choices, levels of detail, or narrative focuses. Description variations recognize that BLV users…
Embedded Description (Inline Description, Integrated Description)
A technique for making presentation content accessible where the speaker verbally describes relevant visual information on slides — including text, images, graphics, and other visual aids — as part of…
Extended Audio Description (Extended Description)
A form of audio description in which the video playback is paused to allow time for a description that would not otherwise fit within natural gaps in the audio track. Extended audio descriptions are u…
Freeze Frame (Video Thumbnail, ASL Freeze Frame)
In the context of ASL video interfaces, a freeze frame is a static image captured at a recognizable moment of an ASL sign, used as a visual label or thumbnail for video content. Freeze frames allow De…
Keyframe (Key Frame)
A keyframe is a single representative frame selected from a video scene or shot that best captures the essential visual content of that segment. In automated audio description and video captioning sys…
Live Description (Real-Time Description, Live Audio Description)
The practice of providing descriptions of visual content in real time as events unfold, as opposed to scripted descriptions added during post-production of recorded media. Live description is used in …
Livestream Accessibility (Live Video Accessibility)
The practice of making live video broadcasts accessible to people with disabilities, particularly viewers with visual or hearing impairments. Livestreams present unique accessibility challenges becaus…
Minimum Viable Description (MVD)
Minimum viable description (MVD) is an emerging framework for audio description that establishes the foundational level of visual information needed to provide equal access to video content without in…
Narrative Style (Descriptive Style, AD Voice)
The distinctive approach a describer takes when writing audio descriptions, encompassing choices about language formality, emotional tone, level of interpretation, detail density, and pacing. Narrativ…
On-Screen Text (OST, Visual Text, Burned-In Text)
Text that appears visually within video content, including titles, subtitles, captions, signs, labels, credits, and any other written information displayed on screen. On-screen text must be read aloud…
Open Captions (Burned-in Captions, Hard-coded Captions)
Captions that are permanently embedded into a video and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Unlike closed captions, which can be toggled on or off, open captions are always visible as part of the vide…
Picture-in-Picture (PiP, PIP)
A display technique that shows a smaller video or content window overlaid on the main content, allowing viewers to see two sources simultaneously. In accessibility contexts, picture-in-picture is the …