Hello, new government regulations require that your school’s videos have audio descriptions starting April 1. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on.

What is Audio Description?

Audio description is an additional narration track that describes important visual elements in a video. It communicates information that isn’t spoken in the primary audio—such as on-screen text, award amounts, student names, or key visual moments.

For example, if a personalized financial aid video displays a student’s scholarship amount on screen, audio description ensures that information is spoken aloud. This allows students who are blind or have low vision to access the same information and context as their peers.

Audio description is a recognized accessibility accommodation under the ADA and an important component of fully accessible video communication.

What the New ADA Title II Rules Require

Updated ADA Title II regulations require public colleges and universities to ensure their digital content—including video—meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. This includes providing audio description for prerecorded video that contains meaningful visual information.

Compliance deadlines are approaching quickly:

April 24, 2026 for larger public institutions
April 24, 2027 for smaller public institutions

These requirements apply to admissions and enrollment communications, including personalized videos used to deliver acceptance and financial aid information.

Built Directly Into Allied Pixel Personalized Videos

This new capability is built into Allied Pixel’s personalized video solution. Using 3Play Media’s AI-powered audio description technology, Allied Pixel can automatically generate and embed audio description tracks into personalized student videos as part of the production process.

This is not a standalone tool institutions need to manage separately. Instead, audio description is seamlessly included in the personalized videos Allied Pixel produces for your students.

Key benefits include:

AI-generated audio description delivered seamlessly
Accessibility built directly into personalized videos
Support for ADA Title II compliance efforts
No additional production steps required from your team

By embedding audio description into each personalized video, institutions can ensure their enrollment communications are accessible, inclusive, and aligned with federal accessibility standards. To see a sample personalized video with audio description, visit here.