Applies to: A scene includes meaningful signs, names, instructions or location text that is not spoken.
The useful distinctions
- Essential text displayed in video is visual information.
- Audio description or a descriptive transcript can convey visual information absent from dialogue.
- An ordinary spoken-audio or caption label alone does not establish that this information is covered.
Explain why the visual words matter
A location sign, document or instruction can supply a fact the dialogue never states. A viewer who cannot access that visual text may therefore miss an essential part of the scene even when every spoken line is available. Describe the information’s role rather than transcribing a long passage. The enquiry should explain what remains unknown and which access format the viewer relies on to follow the programme.
Check the edition’s actual coverage
A generic accessibility label is not enough to establish that every essential on-screen word is conveyed. Identify the edition and a short sample where the need is clear. Ask about the described audio or descriptive text alternative appropriate to the viewer. Some visual words may already be spoken, so the useful report distinguishes genuinely missing information from text that is available through another accessible part of the same programme.
Hypothetical worked example
In invented edition SG-3, a character follows a silently displayed sign directing them to Route B. The dialogue never names the route. A viewer asks whether the described edition or descriptive transcript conveys that choice and cites the brief scene near 06:40. They do not assume that dialogue captions answer the question simply because text is present elsewhere, or claim that every visible sign must be repeated regardless of its meaning.
A focused way to proceed
- Identify the short segment and the role of the on-screen words.
- State which access format the viewer uses.
- Ask whether the identified edition conveys that information through the required format.
When to stop or ask for help
Ask for confirmation that the required access format conveys the essential visual words in the cited edition and segment.