Accessible videos for everyone, as easy as possible

How can you make information from a video accessible to everyone? You can do this by providing the video with subtitles as well as an audio description and a text alternative. But how does that work, and can you do it yourself?

Marc van Tintelen, product owner SIMsite powered by Drupal: "We want to provide our customers with the best possible support in making their content accessible. We believe it is our social responsibility to contribute as much as possible to 'barrier-free' government websites. They indicated that making videos accessible was a major challenge. I started looking for ways to make this easier and found them at Scribit.pro."

What is Scribit.pro?

Scribit.pro specializes in making videos accessible so that everyone can make the most of them. It offers easy-to-use software for adding subtitles, audio description, and a text version to videos. ReadSpeaker is used for the voice. These three components are necessary to ensure that your video complies with the accessibility requirements set out in the Digital Government Decree. Scribit.pro also provides you with code to embed the accessible video on your website, as platforms such as YouTube do not offer this option. In the future, it will also be possible to add sign language.

Scribit in action: example video

Click on the buttons below the video to start the audio description and description of the video.

Necessary support

Eveline Ferwerda, creator of scribit.tv and .pro: “Scribit.pro originated from scribit.tv, a project with the Bartiméus Fund. Video has long been unjustly subordinated in making content accessible. But that excludes a lot of people. Audio description, for example, is necessary to support people with visual impairments, because otherwise they cannot understand the content or miss important information. Imagine that all kinds of things are happening on screen while you hear music. Without audio description, the video is impossible to follow for someone who cannot see. We investigated what this means for people with visual or hearing impairments. It has a significant impact. One of them said: "That means I can't participate." Another said: "When I come across an inaccessible video, I skip it. It makes me feel excluded."

Welcome solution

Shift2 and Scribit.pro have joined forces based on a shared vision: to offer the most comprehensive support possible.

Twan: "This is a great solution that really helps our customers move forward and meets their needs. They can get started with the tools themselves, but we also offer the option of having a number of videos processed by the professionals at Scribit.pro.

Eveline: "It's a time-consuming job and requires a bit of linguistic flair. That's why we're happy to help. All you have to do is upload the YouTube video. We'll then get to work on it. Within five working days, the video will be provided with text, subtitles, and audio description. Shift2 ensures that the video is added correctly to your CMS. That way, you can be sure that your videos comply with the requirements and you don't have to worry about a thing."