Confirm the agency requirement before production

Federal clients can establish policies that meet or exceed the minimum Section 508 standards. Ask for the contract language, agency media guide, delivery platform, and acceptance process before estimating the work. The official Section508.gov synchronized-media guidance tells producers to plan captions, audio descriptions, and text transcripts and to confirm the client agency’s specific requirements.

Do not wait for a conformance review to discover that a client requires open captions, a descriptive transcript, or a particular media player.

Plan the synchronized-media package

  • Captions: time-coded text for speech and meaningful sound, synchronized with the source audio.
  • Audio description: narration of meaningful visual content not already communicated by the program audio.
  • Transcript: an accessible text alternative containing the information required by the contract.
  • Player controls: controls that expose captions and audio description at the required menu level and remain operable by keyboard.
  • Source and delivery files: named consistently so the government team can identify the original, described version, caption file, and transcript.

Section508.gov notes that captions include sound descriptions and that the secondary audio track integrates descriptions of meaningful visual content. Treat each as a quality-controlled deliverable.

Review captions against the actual soundtrack

Check every speaker change, number, acronym, technical term, and meaningful sound. Captions that run before or after speech can change meaning. The government guidance recommends synchronized timing, correct spelling and punctuation, complete dialogue or its faithful essence, suitable reading time, and a consistent system for speakers, sounds, and music.

Review description against the actual picture

Listen without watching, then compare the missing information with the AD script. Make sure names, titles, charts, warnings, interface changes, and demonstrated actions are available. Remove repetitions of facts already spoken. Do not use description to narrate decorative details while a critical instruction remains missing.

Test the final implementation, not only the files

A correct VTT file can still fail if the published player hides the caption control. A good AD track can remain inaccessible if users cannot find or select it. Test with keyboard-only navigation, visible focus, zoom, mobile layout, and a screen reader. Verify that switching tracks does not reset playback unexpectedly.

Give procurement a useful handoff

Provide a delivery manifest listing each asset, language, duration, review date, and known limitation. Include the player or page tested and the method used to review captions and AD. Avoid broad certifications outside the scope of the work.

VoxDescribe prepares four editable media outputs that an agency can review and include in a Section 508 production workflow.