What is descriptive video and how can your business use it?

Descriptive video (also known as audio description) provides narrated descriptions of visual elements in video content, making media accessible for audience members who are blind or have low vision. As businesses increasingly prioritize inclusive content, understanding descriptive video is essential. To date, described video is not universally well known in comparison to captioning. However, for some, having videos described is critical, as it is necessary to meet accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1 and ADA Title II.

Even if your company or brand isn’t tasked with meeting compliance laws, descriptive video offers great benefits. Having your videos described can help you expand your audience, enhance engagement, and demonstrate corporate responsibility.

What does descriptive video mean?

When people are blind or have low vision they can miss many of the cues and context in videos. Visual description of the characters, scenes, action, attire, and body language allow these audience members to fully understand what’s happening. It’s important to prevent the audio being used to describe the video from overlapping with any dialogue or narration. The overlap can lead to even greater confusion. For this reason, standard descriptions are inserted during gaps in the original audio. When done well, the visual description allows members of the audience to create a mental picture of the scenes they can’t see. 

Most of the time, production companies will add the described video audio in post-production. When professionals add the descriptions after the original video is complete, they can carefully word and construct the audio to fit into the film. However, in the case of live TV and live events, a descriptive video service may need to be used to provide the video descriptions in real-time.  

Descriptive video & audio description for video accessibility

Descriptive video and audio description (AD) offer narration of key visual details in a video. If produced well, the audio descriptions are seamlessly integrated into the natural flow of the content. It’s used to describe everything from actions, settings, body language, and graphics to on-screen text to make the story understandable for audiences who are blind or navigating vision loss.

Also, with more Audio Description solutions based on Artificial Intelligence and hybrid methods available, it’s now much easier for organizations and content creators to have high-quality, scalable descriptive video produced at a reasonable cost. For example, Verbit now offers professional AI Audio Description to help users describe video at scale.

Key benefits of audio description:

• Meets WCAG and ADA compliance needs
• Improves user experience for audiences who are blind or low-vision
• Expands market reach and engagement
• Supports inclusive corporate communication
• Improves viewing for people who are autistic or are auditory learners
• Provide additional video cues to multitasking viewers and podcast listeners

Described video vs audio description: What’s the difference?

Described video and audio description are similar, and in some cases, they’re identical. While often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences:

Term	Definition	Typical Use
Descriptive Video (DV)	Narrated descriptions of visual content	Education, broadcast, corporate videos
Audio Description (AD)	Professional narration of on-screen elements	Enterprise, media, eLearning, streaming platforms

In practice, both aim to make video content accessible while enhancing comprehension for all users.

In different geographic regions, the terms are used differently as well. Described video is the Canadian term for what accessibility providers in the US and the UK call audio description. The reason for the difference in terminology is that “audio description” refers to a slightly different accessibility solution in Canada.  In Canada, “audio description” refers to a simpler voice over where a speaker reads any written text and describes graphics. Described video in Canada and “audio description” in the US and the UK refer to a more comprehensive solution that provides additional context for people who are blind. 

Types of audio description services to consider

Businesses can choose between multiple approaches based on budget, volume, and workflow needs:

1. Human-Crafted Audio Description
   Professional narrators create detailed, accurate descriptions for high-impact content.
2. AI Audio Description
   Automatically generates descriptions for large video libraries at speed, while maintaining high accuracy. Ideal for enterprises with ongoing video production needs.
3. Extended Audio Description
   Adds additional context for complex visuals, technical content, or educational materials.
4. Live Audio Description
   Real-time narration for webinars, live streams, and corporate events to ensure accessibility in the moment.

Types of descriptive video services available

When it comes to describing videos, there are different styles or ways of adding this feature. Here are the three types of descriptive video solutions that Verbit offers to accommodate different needs. 

• Standard audio description: Standard audio description and described video involve having a separate audio track that producers add to the finished video after production. In this type of solution, the voice over occurs during breaks in the original dialogue or audio.
• Extended audio description: Sometimes standard audio description doesn’t offer enough context. The scenes might need a lot of description, and perhaps there aren’t enough breaks in the audio to interject. Verbit’s extended audio description offers a far more comprehensive description of what’s happening in a video. In order to avoid having the separate audio files lead to confusing and chaotic results, the audience has the ability to pause the video and listen to the audio description.
• Real-time audio description: It’s not always possible to wait until post-production to add descriptive audio. Sometimes, live events will include real-time audio description where the descriptive video service provider speaks as the events unfold. This solution works for award shows, sports broadcasting and other live events. For instance, a Verbit Company provided the audio description for this year’s Oscars and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Business use cases: Accessibility and ROI

Implementing descriptive video and audio description benefits organizations across sectors:

• Marketing & Branding: Reach a broader audience and demonstrate inclusivity in campaigns.
• Corporate Training & Onboarding: Ensure all employees, including those with low vision, access training videos.
• Higher Education: Comply with ADA Title II and make educational content fully accessible.
• Live Streaming & Events: Offer real-time descriptions for webinars, conferences, and live streams.

Using Verbit’s AI Audio Description ensures these solutions scale efficiently across hundreds of video assets. Learn more about our AI Audio Description capabilities.

Accessibility legislation on audio description to be aware of

Accessibility laws in Canada on audio description

Canadian laws require audio description and described video for certain content. Since 2001, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission has required that some programming and networks include described video content. However, not all programs need to have this service available. In recent years, the CRTC has expanded its requirements and more video content will need to include this accommodation. Additionally, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) has more stringent requirements for descriptive video. That legislation is one of the world’s broadest accessibility laws.

Accessibility laws about audio description in the US

In the US, video accessibility requirements have expanded well beyond the original scope of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). Today, ADA Title II plays a central role, with the U.S. Department of Justice clarifying that state and local governments – including public colleges and universities – must ensure digital content, including video, is accessible, aligning with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This includes providing audio description when visual information is required to understand video content. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act reinforces these expectations for federally funded institutions by referencing WCAG standards, while courts have consistently applied the ADA to online content despite its original focus on physical spaces. To help institutions meet these evolving requirements at scale, Campus Complete by Verbit offers a simple subscription plan to support end-to-end accessibility across digital video, combining audio description, captions, and compliance-focused workflows.

Descriptive video benefits beyond compliance

Adding descriptive video and audio description drives measurable benefits:

• Increased Engagement: Audiences stay longer and interact more with accessible content.
• Improved SEO & Discoverability: Transcribed and described content is easier for search engines to index.
• Inclusive UX: Demonstrates commitment to diversity and accessibility, enhancing brand reputation.
• Regulatory Compliance: Meets WCAG 2.1, ADA Title II, and other global accessibility standards.

AI Audio Description: Scalable accessibility for modern enterprises

Modern organizations produce hundreds of videos annually. Manually describing each one can be time-consuming and expensive. AI-powered audio description combines automated transcription with intelligent narration suggestions, dramatically reducing turnaround time while maintaining accuracy.

Key features of AI Audio Description include:

• High-speed processing for large video libraries
• Consistent quality across content types
• Integration with existing media workflows

Discover how to leverage Verbit’s AI Audio Description which is based on proprietary AI designed to accurately perform video description.

Checklist: Make your video accessible today

Use this go-to checklist for all video accessibility efforts:

✅ Add descriptive audio for all video content
✅ Ensure adherence to WCAG 2.1 / ADA Title II standards
✅ Use AI tools for scalability
✅ Provide accurate closed captions and transcripts
✅ Monitor engagement and accessibility performance

Selecting a descriptive video service provider

Including video descriptions may seem like a hassle, but it can be done quickly and within budget. With the right partner, businesses can easily offer audio description on their videos. Start making your video content inclusive, compliant, and engaging with Verbit’s Audio Description and AI Audio Description solutions:

• Explore Verbit Audio Description
• Discover AI Audio Description

FAQs on audio description providers & services

• Do they offer quality descriptive video? Described video will only help those who need it if the quality is high. Therefore, those providing the descriptions must speak clearly and be fluent in the relevant language. It’s important to select a professional partner that meets the needs of people who rely on description for accessibility. With Verbit, trained descriptive video professionals who are native speakers provide quality accessibility solutions to customers.
• Is it easy to add descriptive video with the provider’s integrations? Offering accessibility is easier when partnering with a company that not only has experience in the area, but makes the upload process simple. Verbit provides integrations with video platforms like Zoom, Kaltura, Panopto, Brightcove, Blackboard, Ensemble, JW Player, Vimeo and more to facilitate a quick, user-friendly experience. 
• Can the audio description provider scale to meet high demands? Scalability is key when it comes to accessibility solutions. The process should be quick and partners need to have the resources to meet high volume requests. Whether a video or event needs descriptions or captioning, Verbit can tackle large projects quickly and efficiently. 
• Are they reliable and available? Planning for accessible live events shouldn’t become difficult because of unavailable descriptive video or captioning services. Working with a professional and experienced accessibility partner like Verbit makes it easier to offer inclusive videos, meetings, lectures and other events. 
• Do they meet legal standards and accessibility guidelines? Providing described video is critical to meet necessary accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and laws like the ADA. An accessibility partner should be knowledgeable about these standards and offer solutions that meet or exceed current best practices. 

Verbit provides professional descriptions of videos, captions, and transcripts that make content and events more inclusive. Contact us to learn more about how our video accessibility solutions.