Prerecorded videos have synchronized captions
Why it matters
Uncaptioned video permanently excludes deaf and hard-of-hearing users and anyone in a sound-restricted environment. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.2.2 (Captions — Prerecorded) is a Level A requirement covering all prerecorded video with audio. Section 508 2018 Refresh explicitly requires synchronized captions. Auto-generated captions from YouTube or Vimeo average 80% accuracy and fail the WCAG requirement of being 'accurate' — they are not a compliant substitute without human review.
Severity rationale
High because uncaptioned video creates a complete content exclusion for deaf users and violates WCAG 2.2 SC 1.2.2 at Level A, with Section 508 compliance implications for any federally connected product.
Remediation
Supply a WebVTT caption file for every prerecorded video. Attach it with <track kind="captions"> and set default so it loads automatically.
<video controls>
<source src="/tutorial.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<track
kind="captions"
src="/captions/tutorial-en.vtt"
srclang="en"
label="English captions"
default
/>
</video>
For YouTube embeds, verify captions are enabled and human-reviewed — auto-generated captions do not satisfy WCAG 2.2 SC 1.2.2. For important content, commission a professional captioning service. Store .vtt files alongside your video assets and reference them from public/captions/.
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the Accessibility WCAG Compliance Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
External references
- wcag:2.2 · 1.2.2 — Captions (Prerecorded)
- section-508:2018-refresh · 503.4 — User Controls for Captions and Audio Description
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from accessibility-wcag·automated