The benefits of AI Audio Description for video accessibility & ADA Title II compliance

An estimated 7+ million Americans and 2.2 billion people worldwide have vision loss or blindness. In a world where video is central to communication, learning, and entertainment, offering accessible video is a must. Audio description, which provides spoken narration of key visual elements shown in a video, offers one key method to make video content more inclusive.

Additionally, many organizations and universities are preparing to comply with new digital accessibility standards. The ADA Title II ruling taking effect in April 2026 is looming, and offering videos with audio description is one piece of what’s required. In order to meet this deadline, having a scalable AI Audio Description solution will be an essential to those crafting compliant video strategies.

To help, you can also watch this Verbit webinar on AI Audio Description to get practical advice and an explanation of ADA Title II audio description requirements in plain terms.

What is audio description? 

Visual media, like video content, is not always accessible to individuals with vision loss. Much like captions improve accessibility for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, audio description services can support people who are blind and have low vision.  

Audio description is a type of assistive technology that uses recorded narration to describe important visual elements of media content. There are two primary styles of audio description: standard and extended. Standard audio description uses clear and concise descriptions of visual elements that are designed to fit into existing pauses in an audio track. With standard audio description, the descriptive narration doesn’t overlap with any important audio elements like dialogue.  

On the other hand, extended audio description, as the name suggests, offers more enhanced, detailed descriptions of on-screen actions and visuals. In order to fit these longer descriptions, the video will pause to give more time for the detailed narration. Each style of audio description provides a more inclusive media experience to audience members who need additional support to meaningfully engage with visual content. However, one style may work better than another depending on the specific type of video. 

For instance, standard audio description is often the best option for video entertainment. If a video is serving an educational purpose, extended audio description, with additional details, might be the better solution. 

What is AI audio description?

AI Audio Description automatically generates natural, English audio description for videos using advanced AI. It transforms visuals into spoken narrative that complements the existing audio track. This AI-generated solution allows viewers who can’t see the screen to fully understand visual information such as scenes, actions, on-screen text, graphics, and context not conveyed through dialogue alone. Unlike traditional human-only workflows, AI Audio Description like Verbit’s scales across large video libraries with predictable quality and faster turnaround.

Why audio description matters in 2026

Audio description has long been a best practice for inclusion, but it’s now becoming mandatory for some organizations. April’s Americans with Disabilities Act Title II deadline is approaching, and public institutions, including state universities and large community colleges, among others, are tasked with providing accessible media, including audio description for pre-recorded video content. They have to provide audio description to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, but many cannot afford to pay or wait for human audio description services on all of their video content. Professional AI Audio Description offers a strong alternative.

This shift puts pressure on campuses, government agencies, media platforms, and corporations to deliver and move beyond accommodation-only accessibility. AI Audio Description offers a scalable solution to adopt that can keep pace with growing video demands.

Core benefits of AI audio description

1. Greater Accessibility and Inclusion

Audio description ensures people who are blind or have low vision can access the same information as users with sight. By adding descriptive narration that explains visual context, videos become more equitable and engaging for those with vision loss.

2. Expanded Audience and Engagement

Audio-described content can also improve engagement metrics. Viewers in low-visual environments, such as people listening while commuting or multitasking, can also absorb content more fully with descriptive narration. Additionally, audio description can help neurodiverse individuals interpret visual cues like facial expressions and gestures more clearly.

3. Compliance with Accessibility Laws and Guidelines

With the introduction of ADA Title II requirements and continued emphasis on WCAG 2.1 standards, organizations that add AI Audio Description to their workflows strengthen compliance and reduce legal risk. This is especially important for educational institutions, government bodies, and corporations with public-facing video content.

4. Scalability Through Automation

Traditional audio description workflows can be costly, time-consuming, and difficult to scale, which limits adoption to only a handful of videos. AI Audio Description makes it financially feasible to describe large video libraries, accelerating turnaround and making accessible video part of regular content production rather than an afterthought.

5. SEO and Discoverability Benefits

In addition to accessibility value, audio descriptions enrich metadata and improve search indexability. The descriptive narration adds contextual language that search engines and AI models can parse, increasing video discoverability across platforms like Google and YouTube, driving traffic and engagement while supporting inclusion.

Types of audio description

Audio description can be delivered in several formats depending on content type: 

• Live Audio Description: Real-time narration for live events, TV broadcasts, webinars, public performances, and more.  
• Pre-Recorded Audio Description: Descriptive narration added to existing video content like TV shows, movies, online courses, and videos.  
• Integrated Audio Description: Descriptive cues embedded directly into the narrative for projects designed with accessibility from the start.

AI Audio Description simplifies all these approaches by automating narration generation, making each type easier to create and maintain.

Implementing audio description – and how AI helps

Quality and timing are critical to effective audio description. Narration must be accurate and time-synced to visual elements so that audiences can follow along without confusion. Historically, achieving this required skilled human describers and lengthy production times, which made audio description expensive and hard to scale.

With AI Audio Description, these barriers are removed: automated workflows provide consistent, high-quality narration faster and at lower cost, with optional human review available for high-stakes content. This means the likes of streaming platforms like Netflix, film distributors, and those putting on theatrical productions, live performances, and events can generate audio description and offer it more readily to users, at scale and at a lower cost thanks to AI capabilities. 

Accuracy in audio description services 

While AI presents exciting opportunity, there is one factor that separates the good from the bad when it comes to audio description: accuracy. Creators must work tirelessly to ensure their audio description tracks – whether produced by AI or human describers – offer accurate, clear and concise descriptions of visual elements. It is also critical that all narration tracks sync appropriately with the visual media to provide equitable viewing for those with disabilities.  

The best way to ensure your audio description offerings are accurate and effective is to partner with a professional audio description service provider like Verbit. Verbit’s leading AI audio description technology stands apart from generic AI audio description tools, and Verbit employs professional audio describers to deliver accurate, reliable descriptive narration tracks when needed. An audio describer with professional certification and familiarity with a range of media formats can help creators of visual media make their high-stakes content more accessible and their messaging more equitable.  

Get inspired by leaders in audio description adoption  

Every year, the American Council of the Blind hosts its Audio Description Awards Gala to honor and recognize individuals and institutions that demonstrate excellence in audio described content. The Awards Gala also celebrates inclusivity and accessibility in media and provides much-needed visibility for the disability community.  

Some previous Audio Description Awards winners include:  

• Microsoft 
• Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 
• Paramount Global 
• Telemundo/Hearst 

The American Council of the Blind’s recognition of people and organizations that are helping make an impact in the disability community and beyond further increases awareness of audio description technology and its benefits. 

The future of audio description 

As video formats continue to evolve – from traditional broadcasts and online courses to immersive experiences like virtual reality and 360-degree video – the role of audio description will grow. AI-powered solutions will be essential for supporting accessibility across these formats and ensuring all audiences can access and enjoy visual content.

Audio description is more than a compliance checkbox – it’s a strategic way to broaden audience reach, enhance engagement, and meet evolving accessibility expectations. With new requirements like ADA Title II driving adoption, organizations that embrace AI Audio Description now will be better positioned to deliver inclusive, engaging, and compliant video experiences.

Verbit’s AI audio description and other accessible media solutions can help creators and institutions offer more inclusive media experiences to all audiences and students. Reach out today to learn how Verbit’s scalable audio description solutions can help you offer accessible video and improve your video inclusion strategy.