Audio description
Also known as: Described video
Audio description is an extra narration track that describes the important things happening on screen in a video, for people who can't see it.
In plain terms
Captions cover what you hear; audio description covers what you see. During natural pauses in the dialogue, a narrator explains key visual action — "she picks up the letter and frowns" — so a blind listener follows the story, not just the words.
Why it matters
If a video shows information that isn't spoken aloud — an on-screen phone number, a chart, a silent demonstration — blind users miss it entirely without audio description. WCAG 1.2.5 requires it at Level AA.
A training video that silently shows "click the gear icon" adds a description track saying "click the settings gear in the top-right corner".
Related terms
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