This post is part of a series where we explain Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an internationally recognized standard for measuring website accessibility. For more posts in this series, visit our Web Accessibility WCAG 2 Knowledge Base.
In this next installment of our WordPress accessibility series on WCAG conformance, we’re stepping into one of the most advanced areas of video accessibility—exploring how extended audio description for prerecorded media helps ensure that even the most visually complex content is fully understood by everyone.
Captions make video content accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and standard audio description helps users who are blind or have low vision understand key visual details. But sometimes, there simply isn’t enough time in the natural pauses of a video to describe everything that matters. That’s where WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.7: Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) comes in.
When your WordPress site includes videos such as tutorials, walkthroughs, marketing videos, or presentations where visuals add meaning—and especially when those visuals are dense or fast-moving—extended audio description ensures that all users can fully perceive and understand the content, even if it requires pausing the video to do so.
In this article, we’ll break down what WCAG 1.2.7 requires, why extended audio description matters, common implementation challenges, and practical ways to provide extended audio-described video content using WordPress-friendly tools and workflows.
This is a Level AAA success criterion and will not apply to your website if you are only targeting AA conformance.
What is WCAG 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded)?
Where pauses in foreground audio are insufficient to allow audio descriptions to convey the sense of the video, extended audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.2.7
In plain terms:
If a prerecorded video contains important visual information that cannot fit into the natural pauses of the existing audio, you must provide a version of the video where playback is paused to allow additional audio description.
Unlike WCAG 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) Level AA, which requires standard audio description within existing pauses, 1.2.7 goes further by requiring extended descriptions when those pauses don’t allow enough time to sufficiently describe the visuals.
This means:
- A transcript alone is not enough to meet this criterion.
- You may need to insert a still frame in the video to allow time for audio description.
- A standard audio-described version alone may not be sufficient.
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Why WCAG 1.2.7 Matters
Imagine a fast-paced WordPress tutorial showing multiple steps in quick succession—menus opening, fields being filled, settings toggled—all while the narrator continues speaking without pause.
In a video like this, there may be no time to describe:
- Where elements are located
- What options are selected
- How the interface changes
Without extended audio description, a blind user would miss critical instructional details.
WCAG 1.2.7 ensures that no information is lost due to timing constraints. By allowing the video to pause and show a freeze frame with additional narration, it guarantees that all users receive a complete and equivalent understanding—regardless of how visually complex or fast-paced the content is.
How to Meet This Success Criterion in WordPress
If you publish prerecorded video content with important visuals that cannot be fully described during natural pauses, and you want to meet Level AAA accessibility, WCAG 1.2.7 requires you to provide extended audio description.
Plan for Extended Audio Description from the Beginning
While extended audio description is sometimes unavoidable, planning ahead can reduce the need for it.
You can:
- Write scripts that naturally include visual details.
- Slow down pacing to allow room for description.
- Avoid overly dense visual sequences.
- Ensure on-screen text is spoken aloud.
This approach—often called integrated description—can help you meet lower-level criteria (like 1.2.5 AA audio description) and minimize the need for extended audio description. However, for highly complex visuals, extended audio description may still be required to achieve Level AAA conformance.
See our article on Level AA audio description for additional information on planning for and creating videos with audio description.
How to create a video with extended audio description
Extended audio description builds on standard audio description by inserting pauses into the video.
Here’s how to create extended audio description:
- Review your video carefully: Identify all visual information that conveys meaning but is not described in the existing audio—and note where timing is too tight to describe it.
- Write an extended description script: Add more detailed descriptions than you would for standard audio description, including:
- Interface layouts
- Step-by-step actions
- On-screen text
- Visual changes over time
- Record the narration: Use an audio or video recording tool (such as Descript, Adobe Premiere, or even the audio recorder built into your computer) to record the extended descriptions.
- Edit the video to include pauses: Insert freeze frames or pauses at appropriate points to allow time for the narration.
- Sync and export: Align the narration with the paused segments and export the extended audio-described version of the video.
Good extended audio description might include narration like:
“The presenter opens the Settings panel on the left sidebar. A list appears with options including General, Accessibility, and Advanced. The presenter selects Accessibility, revealing three toggle switches labeled…”
For additional advice on writing quality audio description, watch this recorded webinar, Audio Description: If Your Eyes Could Speak, with presenter Joel Snyder.
Examples of Extended Audio Description
Extended audio description over black screens
In this video from the Joshua Tree National Park service, about 7 things to take on a hike, the audio description has been inserted over black screens. This may be an easier or faster approach if you’re not an experienced video editor.
Example of audio description over freeze frames
In this video from the United States’ National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which explains how MRI machines work, the audio description has been inserted over freeze frames. This is our recommended approach if you expect the video to be watched by both sighted and blind people.
How to Implement Extended Audio Description in WordPress
There are several ways to provide extended audio description on your WordPress site:
Provide a separate extended audio-described version
This is the most common approach. Create a second version of your video that includes pauses and extended narration.
You can present it using:
- Tabs: One tab for the standard video and another for the extended audio-described version.
- Accordions: Allow users to expand and choose which version to play.
- Links: Provide a clearly labeled link immediately after the video (e.g., “Watch extended audio-described version”).
Use accessible video players
Some video players support multiple versions or enhanced accessibility features:
- Able Player plugin: Supports multiple tracks and accessible controls
- Vimeo: Can host alternate versions of videos
- Wistia: Supports advanced accessibility workflows, including extended description scenarios
WCAG 1.2.7 Exceptions
There are limited cases where WCAG 1.2.7 does not apply:
- Purely sensory media: Videos that do not convey meaningful information.
- Live video content: This criterion applies only to prerecorded media.
- Decorative video: Videos that do not provide essential content or functionality.
Testing WCAG 1.2.7 Compliance in WordPress
1. Identify prerecorded videos with complex visual content
Review all published content on your WordPress site to identify prerecorded videos. To speed up this process, use Accessibility Checker Pro to run a full-site scan and review the report for “A Video is Present.” This will help you to quickly find all videos on your site, without having to look at every post or page one by one.
After you have a list of videos to evaluate, watch the videos. Identify videos where:
- Visual information is dense or fast-paced.
- Important details cannot fit into natural pauses.
Ask: “Even with standard audio description, would timing limit understanding?”
If the answer is yes, then the video needs extended audio description.
2. Confirm applicable exceptions
Exclude:
- Decorative videos
- Purely sensory media
- Live streams
3. Check for extended audio description
For each video, watch it carefully. Verify that applicable videos include:
- A version with pauses for additional narration, or
- Clearly accessible extended audio-described content
Standard audio description alone may not meet this requirement. Text-only transcripts, captions, or media alternatives do not, on their own, meet WCAG 1.2.7.
4. Verify accessibility in WordPress
Ensure:
- Users can easily find and access the extended version.
- Controls are keyboard accessible.
- Labels clearly distinguish between standard and extended versions.
5. Test with assistive technology
Use screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver to confirm:
- The extended narration provides complete visual context.
- The extended version is discoverable.
- Controls are properly labeled.
Take an online course to learn screen reader testing
If you want to learn more about how to use a screen reader for accessibility testing, check out our online courses. These courses include detailed instructions on how to use a screen reader, what keyboard shortcuts to know, recommended settings for testing, and good and bad examples of multiple different components so you know what to listen for.
Start Making Your WordPress Site More Inclusive
WCAG 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) represents the highest level of video accessibility by ensuring that no visual detail is lost due to time constraints.
While it is a Level AAA requirement—and not always required for legal compliance—it is a powerful way to create truly inclusive experiences, especially for complex instructional or educational content.
Start by identifying high-impact videos where timing limits comprehension. Provide extended audio-described versions where needed, and design your content with accessibility in mind from the start.
Accessibility tools can help you find videos on your site—but meeting WCAG 1.2.7 requires thoughtful evaluation and intentional design. By embracing extended audio description, you ensure that your content is not just accessible—but fully understandable for everyone.
