Applies to: A viewer needs a text alternative for a podcast-style or other genuinely audio-only item.
The useful distinctions
- Audio description concerns meaningful visual information.
- A genuinely audio-only programme has no visual action to describe.
- A transcript can represent the speech and meaningful sound information of an audio programme.
Identify the information source first
Some listening programmes display a cover image without adding meaningful visual action. Others are videos whose charts or demonstrations matter. Establish which kind of item the viewer means before choosing an access request. If all programme information is carried through sound, the missing access is to that sound. A request for audio description would target visual information instead and could obscure the actual need for speech and meaningful sound to be available in text.
Specify the viewing stage
A completed transcript and a live text alternative are different planning options. Tell the source whether the household needs simultaneous access during the occurrence or can use a later completed record. Do not infer either option from a static artwork image or a general accessibility label. The programme identity and requested stage are enough to make the enquiry concrete without a personal health explanation or a claim about what the service already supplies.
Hypothetical worked example
An invented interview, Listening Point LP-8, uses only a static cover while all content is spoken. A viewer asks for a transcript of the completed interview, including meaningful sound context where relevant. They do not request description of nonexistent visual action. If the household instead needs to follow the interview live, the enquiry names that timing requirement and asks whether a suitable live text option is confirmed.
A focused way to proceed
- Confirm whether the item is genuinely audio-only rather than a video with essential visuals.
- State whether a live or completed text alternative is needed.
- Identify the programme and request its appropriate audio-information text format.
When to stop or ask for help
Request the appropriate audio-information text alternative and clarify whether it must be available live or after completion.