Audio descriptionfor university video.
Lecture capture, course video and public media, described to WCAG 2.1 AA before the ADA Title II deadline. Every line reviewed by a professional describer, up to $5 per finished minute.
Do universities need audio description?
Yes. Public colleges and universities must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA under the DOJ’s ADA Title II rule, and Success Criterion 1.2.5 at that level requires audio description for prerecorded video. Most state universities must comply by April 26, 2027; smaller public entities by April 26, 2028. Private universities face the same expectation under ADA Title III and Section 504. Synchrogen describes course and public video for universities: our AI pipeline drafts timings and descriptions, a professional describer rewrites and approves every line, and you receive a WebVTT description track, a WAV audio track or a described MP4, for up to $5 per finished minute (pricing).
00:01:04:12Deadlines
When does your institution have to comply?
| Institution | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Public universities belonging to a state or local government of 50,000+ people (most state universities) | April 26, 2027 |
| Public colleges of smaller governments, and special district governments (many community colleges) | April 26, 2028 |
| Private universities (ADA Title III, Section 504 if federally funded) | No fixed date; complaints and settlements use WCAG 2.1 AA |
Dates from the DOJ interim final rule of April 20, 2026, which moved both original deadlines by one year. Course videos students still use are not “archived content,” even if recorded years ago. Full breakdown: ADA Title II and audio description. This is not legal advice.
00:02:30:00Budget
What does it cost to describe a course library?
| Volume | Minutes | Synchrogen, at most |
|---|---|---|
| One 50-minute lecture | 50 | $250 |
| A 15-week course, 2 lectures a week | 1,500 | $7,500 |
| 100 hours of course and public video | 6,000 | $30,000 |
Calculated at $5 per finished minute; larger libraries get a lower rate. Not every video needs a separate track: if the instructor already says aloud everything essential on screen, the audio already carries it. How other vendors price: audio description cost per minute; who else to consider: audio description vendors compared.
00:03:48:16Formats
Delivered the way your video platform takes it.
Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Brightcove, YouTube and Canvas handle audio description differently: as a text track, an alternate audio track or a second described version. Tell us your platform and we deliver what it accepts. Every order includes the final script.
- .VTT · .SRT · .TTML
Text description track
Timed description text for players that read or voice text-based audio description tracks.
- .WAV · 48 kHz
Voiced description track
A standalone description audio track for platforms that accept an alternate audio track.
- .MP4 · mixed
Described version
A second copy of the video with description mixed in, for any player or LMS that only hosts one audio track.
00:05:10:04Free sample
Test it on one of your own lectures.
Send up to 3 minutes of course or public video. We return it described, in the format your platform needs, free, within 24 hours.
- No payment details needed
- NDA available on request
- Your files are deleted after delivery
00:06:02:00Asked by accessibility offices
Frequently asked questions.
01Does ADA Title II require audio description for university video?+
02When is the ADA Title II deadline for public universities?+
03Does every lecture video need a separate audio description track?+
04How much does audio description cost for a university?+
05Will it work with Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa or Canvas?+
06Is this AI-generated audio description?+
07Can you sign our vendor and accessibility paperwork?+
Field notes on audio description
Get your course video ready for April 2027.
ADA Title II · Section 504 · Section 508 · WCAG 2.1 AA · 100% human-reviewed