{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "508 Accessible Videos – Use a 508-Compliant Video Player |Digital.gov",
    "description": "508 Accessible Videos – Use a 508-Compliant Video Player",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/30/508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"508 Accessible Videos \u0026#8211; Use a 508-Compliant Video Player","summary" : "When you watch a video on your computer, the window that displays your video is called a “video player.” It usually has start, pause, and other buttons. You might not be aware that you’re using a player at all—you just watch your video. A fully-accessible video player (e.g. Section 508-compliant)","date" : "2014-06-30T10:00:37-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"jonathan-rubin" : "Jonathan Rubin","ryan-leisinger" : "Ryan Leisinger","gary-morin" : "Gary Morin"},"topics" : {
        
            "accessibility" : "Accessibility",
            "multimedia" : "Multimedia",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2014-06-30-508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2014/06/2014-06-30-508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/06/2014-06-30-508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/06/2014-06-30-508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player.md","slug" : "508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/30/508-accessible-videos-use-a-508-compliant-video-player/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/07/480-x-385-Resource-Accessible-Videos-508-Compliant-Video-Player-with-captions.jpg\"\n    alt=\"480-x-385-Resource-Accessible-Videos-508-Compliant-Video-Player-with-captions\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen you watch a video on your computer, the window that displays your video is called a “video player.” It usually has start, pause, and other buttons. You might not be aware that you’re using a player at all—you just watch your video.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fully-accessible video player (e.g. Section 508-compliant) can be used by a person with disabilities, including, for example, someone who may be paralyzed and can’t use a mouse.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe specific types of video players and their requirements can be very technical and confusing. If you need help, talk to your webmaster, your IT department, or a Section 508 expert at your agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"requirements-of-accessible-video-players\"\u003eRequirements of Accessible Video Players\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVideo players on federal government sites must support three requirements to be considered 508-compliant:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAccessible features like captioning and audio descriptions (for deaf or blind users)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeyboard navigable features (for users who have difficulty operating a mouse)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpeech recognition (for those not using a keyboard or a mouse). For example, a person could say, “Click play,” and the video would play.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"common-features-of-accessible-video-players\"\u003eCommon Features of Accessible Video Players\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs of June 2014, the current standards for Section 508, as written by the \u003ca href=\"http://www.access-board.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Access Board\u003c/a\u003e, do not give specific requirements for 508-compliant media players. Two good guides to follow are the \u003ca href=\"http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards/guide-to-the-section-508-standards/software-applications-and-operating-systems-1194-21\"\u003eSoftware Applications and Operating Systems guidelines\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards/guide-to-the-section-508-standards/web-based-intranet-and-internet-information-and-applications-1194-22\"\u003eWeb-based application standards\u003c/a\u003e. Some of the commonly requested features include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdjustable font size or caption colors\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClosed captions\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdjustable contrast for captions (captions must be on a visible background—no white text on a white or grey background)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupport for keyboard-only and assistive devices for captions, page navigation, labels, and controls\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVoice-activated capability for those who can’t use a keyboard or mouse\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupport for screen readers and magnifiers, for those with low or no vision\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbility to turn on/off audio descriptions\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume up/volume down\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVisit the \u003ca href=\"http://www.dcmp.org/\"\u003eDescribed and Captioned Media Project website\u003c/a\u003e for a complete list of updated features.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"embedded-vs-stand-alone-video-players\"\u003eEmbedded vs. Stand-Alone Video Players\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are two basic options to play online video:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn embedded player that works with your Web browser, or\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA stand-alone software option that you download or install; it plays outside your Web browser.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1. Browser Embedded Players\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVideo sharing sites, such as YouTube, in addition to the wide distribution of Adobe Flash (video playing component) on personal computing devices, have made embedded players very popular. Browser embedded players are built into Web pages, generally with Adobe Flash, Microsoft’s Silverlight, or HTML5. Videos displayed by these code-based players can be “shared” or embedded in other Web pages. The accessibility of embedded players varies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile many embedded players support Timed Text and other caption formats, few also support audio descriptions or have accessible player controls. Examples of popular players are \u003ca href=\"http://www.longtailvideo.com/jw-player/\"\u003eJWPlayer\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://flowplayer.org/\"\u003eFlowPlayer\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/web_multimedia/tools-guidelines/ccplayer\"\u003eccPlayer\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2. Stand-Alone Software\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStand-alone video players are separate programs that operate outside the Web browser. Stand-alone players have several advantages concerning accessibility:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptions and player controls are standardized for the player (users don’t have to re-learn controls for each new player as they would with embedded players).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStand-alone video players may have more features.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA user can view online and locally stored media, while an embedded player is generally used for online media.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExamples of stand-alone software video players include \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/\"\u003eiTunes\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-media\"\u003eWindows Media Player\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/\"\u003eQuickTime\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.videolan.org/vlc/\"\u003eVLC\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"list-of-508-compliant-video-players\"\u003eList of 508-Compliant Video Players\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/07/600-x-337-Resource-Accessible-Videos-508-Compliant-Video-Player-example.jpg\"\n    alt=\"600-x-337-Resource-Accessible-Videos-508-Compliant-Video-Player-example\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eCaption: The \u003ca href=\"http://www.theworkshop.co.uk/introducing-free-accessible-media-player\"\u003eWorkshop’s video player\u003c/a\u003e (above) supports captions and audio description tracks, and can be used with many assistive devices, with a few exceptions. This video player on NASA’s site supports captions and plays YouTube videos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile platforms like YouTube or Blogger, and some content management systems, have players built into them, if you’re creating or maintaining your own website, you’ll have to pick a player.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome of the video players commonly used by federal government agencies are:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.longtailvideo.com/jw-player/\"\u003eJWPlayer\u003c/a\u003e—Supports audio descriptions\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-media-player\"\u003eWindows Media Player\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDrupal’s \u003ca href=\"https://drupal.org/project/mediafront\"\u003eMediaFront module\u003c/a\u003e/\u003ca href=\"http://mediafront.org/osmplayer/\"\u003eOSM Player\u003c/a\u003e—An open source player that is part of the Open Video Player Project and can be used with \u003ca href=\"https://drupal.org/\"\u003eDrupal\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.theworkshop.co.uk/introducing-free-accessible-media-player\"\u003eThe WorkShop Media Player\u003c/a\u003e—Good out of the box; no add-ons required\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/\"\u003eYouTube\u003c/a\u003e—Supports captioning files but not audio descriptions; not fully accessible\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
  ]
}