The Multimedia Alternatives benchmark evaluates whether non-text content that relies on visual or auditory senses (such as images or videos) has been given an accessible text alternative (such as image alternative “alt” text or video captions). This is tested by reviewing the type of non-text content used and determining if an accessible text alternative for the content has been provided, either as visible text content or underlying markup, or made available via the use of multimedia player controls.
Conformance with this benchmark supports users that have special sensory needs (such as visual, auditory, or tactile), as providing accessible text alternatives to non-text content allows the information to be rendered in a variety of ways to a variety of different users and assistive technologies. Users who are unable to see or have limited vision can have the text alternative for an image read aloud using synthesized speech, and users who are unable to hear or have limited hearing can reference captions or a text transcript for auditory content.
| Criteria Name | Criteria Description |
|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | For prerecorded audio-only and prerecorded video-only media, an alternative for time-based media is provided that presents equivalent information. |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | Captions are provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | If the technologies being used can achieve the visual presentation, text is used to convey information rather than images of text. |