If You’re Captioning Your Own Videos, You NEED This Free Accessibility Checklist
The captions you create could be life-changing, or they could be an unintentional barrier make sure they include everyone.
Download our free accessibility checklist by completing the form below.
When Good Intentions Leave People Behind
You upload a video. It’s heartfelt, helpful, maybe even heroic. But then someone in the comments says, “I couldn’t understand a word without captions.” Another adds, “The captions were wrong half the time.” Maybe a teacher shares your video with their class, only for a deaf student to feel excluded. Suddenly, your content isn’t as accessible as you thought.
If you’ve ever captioned your own videos, you already know it’s not as simple as typing what someone says. There are timings to consider, background sounds, speaker changes, clarity, formatting, readability, device compatibility, and the reality that what works for one viewer might confuse another. The world of video captioning isn’t just technical it’s deeply human.
Let’s be honest. Even big brands get it wrong. Netflix was sued by the National Association of the Deaf for failing to caption “Watch Instantly” content back in 2011. It took a lawsuit to push a global giant to realize: accessibility is not optional. It’s essential. And if that can happen to Netflix, it can happen to anyone.
The Real Cost of Inaccessibility
If you’re skipping accessibility, you’re cutting out millions of potential viewers. Over 430 million people globally have disabling hearing loss. And let’s not forget the people in noisy environments, students in non-native English classrooms, people with learning disabilities, or parents watching quietly next to a sleeping child. The audience who needs captions is vast and growing.
Without captions, you’re also throwing away SEO gold. Search engines don’t watch your video, but they can crawl a transcript. Your video’s reach, engagement, and longevity all skyrocket with accurate, well-formatted captions.
Still not convinced? Think about the creator who had a brilliant how-to series, but her captions referred to tools by the wrong names because she used auto-captions and never checked. Her viewers couldn’t follow along. Her authority vanished overnight.
Here’s the Problem
Most creators rely on built-in tools like YouTube’s automatic captions, assuming they’re “good enough.” But with an average error rate of 30%, that’s like trusting a mechanic who forgets one in three bolts. The results? Jumbled messages, missed context, wrong names, and a broken trust with your audience.
Even those who do caption manually often overlook vital accessibility features. They forget to describe meaningful sound effects and use small or low-contrast fonts. Many pile too many words on screen at once. Or worse, they position the captions in ways that block visual information, like a demonstration or a speaker’s face.
There is no magic fix built into your platform. You have to know how to do this right or your audience suffers.
Here’s the Solution
You need a checklist that doesn’t just tick boxes but transforms the way you think about captioning. It has to be practical. Not full of jargon. And it must be built on what real audiences need and what creators can actually implement without a Hollywood budget.
This free accessibility checklist gives you more than compliance it gives you confidence. It ensures your videos are inclusive, professional, legally sound, and optimized for reach. And it’s designed for creators who care.
How to Caption Like You Care (Because You Do)
Start by listening. Watch your video with your eyes closed. What are you missing? Now watch with the sound off. Are captions even there and are they correct? Ask yourself, are they readable? This test reveals more than any tool ever will.
Next, make sure your captions include everything that matters. Not just the words, but the world of the video. If a dog barks in the background and that bark triggers a reaction from the actor, you have to caption that. Or if a song plays and its lyrics change the meaning of the scene, you have to include them. If someone whispers, laughs, or sighs, that’s part of the story too.
Then focus on timing. Your captions should appear in sync with the speech. Too fast, and people can’t read them. Too slow, and they’re already onto the next idea. Think of captions like subtitles in a film they should enhance, not distract.
After that, format for clarity. Use a large, sans-serif font. Keep contrast high. Place captions where they don’t cover key visuals. Left-align them unless the speaker’s position makes a different layout clearer. One to two lines max. Avoid clutter. Respect the screen.
Make your captions responsive. They must display correctly on phones, tablets, and desktops. You might need to test on multiple devices. Accessibility isn’t universal unless you make it so.
When you’re done, offer a transcript. Not everyone processes information visually. Not everyone watches the whole video. Some people want to scan or quote or refer back. A transcript gives your content legs. It adds value.
Finally, audit your own captions with a checklist that was built for real-world creators. One that includes audio descriptions, testing protocols, platform-specific requirements, and human nuance. Because AI cannot catch tone, sarcasm, irony, or cultural meaning. Only you can do that.
Doing Better Than the Bare Minimum
Where others rely on AI, you can rely on care. Where others stop at compliance, you can go beyond. Offer captions in multiple languages if you can. Hire trained accessibility experts or consult communities who rely on these features. Invest in caption quality the same way you invest in your camera or mic.
When the BBC faced criticism in 2017 for frequent caption errors, they responded by committing to staff training and captioning standards. That move didn’t just restore viewer trust it set a higher bar for public broadcasters. You can set your own bar higher, too.
Instead of adding captions as an afterthought, bake them into your workflow. Write scripts with clear, descriptive language. Leave space in your edits for natural caption timing. If you use animations or diagrams, narrate them thoughtfully. Don’t just show. Say what matters.
Even better? Build your brand on accessibility. Let your audience know that you stand for inclusion. Invite feedback. Fix mistakes. Evolve.
Here’s What You Can Do Right Now
Download the free checklist. Go through your last few videos and test them. Watch them like someone who can’t hear. Like someone who can’t see. Like someone who’s reading along in a second language. Would they understand and would they enjoy it? And would they feel welcome?
If not, now is your moment. Caption with care. Caption with pride. Make your videos something everyone can experience.
Free Accessibility Checklist
You don’t need a million-dollar budget to make inclusive content. You just need a commitment to do better. And you need tools that are as serious as you are about getting it right. This checklist is yours. Free. Practical. Essential.
If you’re captioning your own videos, this is the resource you didn’t know you were missing. But your audience won’t miss what you do next.
Get the free accessibility checklist. Fix your captions. Reach everyone.
Contact us today to learn more about video accessibility, closed captions, multilingual transcription and creating accessible content. We offer inclusive video production services with ADA compliance, WCAG 2.2 adherence. Our team can help you with accessible design, audio description, complying with captioning standards as well as video SEO services including accessible media and disability inclusion
