Podcasts
Podcasts are a series of downloadable audio and/or video files made available to users through RSS (real simple syndication) feeds. Users can subscribe to podcasts through RSS in order to automatically retrieve subsequent episodes. Most podcasts are free to create and consume, and allow virtually anyone with a recording device, a computer, and internet access to produce.
Accessibility Barriers
- Audio podcasts not accompanied by a transcript may be inaccessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, users whose equipment does not support audio output, or users whose machine/device may be located in an environment that is not conducive to audio output.
- Video podcasts that do not include captioning may be inaccessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, users whose equipment does not support audio output, or users whose machine/device may be located in an environment that is not conducive to audio output.
- Video podcasts that do not include Audio description may be inaccessible to visually impaired users and users of devices with small displays.
Best Practices
- Provide transcripts of audio podcasts.
- Include captioning for video podcasts.
- Include audio description for video podcasts.
