Is each time-based medium clearly identifiable (except in special cases)?
A screen reader user arrives on a page and encounters a video player. Without adjacent text, they don't know what they're about to launch: a tutorial, an advertisement, a customer testimonial? Identifying a temporal media means simply attaching a text label to it — a title or paragraph — that immediately precedes or follows the player in the page flow.
This criterion is intentionally minimal. It does not ask for a complete transcript or audio description. It simply asks that a passage of visible text — an <h2>, a <p>, a caption — allows understanding what the media is about before activating it. This is the minimum for content to be usable.
In practice: each video, audio file, and pre-recorded synchronized media must be preceded or followed by an identifying text. This text must appear in the page's HTML, not just in the player's metadata or in an invisible title attribute.
Un test to ensure that each temporal media is correctly identified
Text identification of temporal media
- Identify all pre-recorded temporal media on the page: video only, audio only, or synchronized (video + audio).
- For each one, verify that visible text (title, paragraph, caption) immediately precedes or follows the player in the page flow.
- This text must allow understanding what the media is about — not just "Video 1" or "Excerpt".
- If the player uses Flash technology: the identifying text must be in the page's HTML, outside the Flash player itself.
- If all temporal media have such adjacent text, the test is validated.
Examples
❌ Non-compliant : Video without text identification
<section>
<video controls src="interview-directeur.mp4">
<track kind="captions" src="captions.vtt" srclang="fr">
</video>
</section>The video player is present, captions too, but no text on the page explains what this video is about. A screen reader user navigating by tabulation reaches the player without knowing whether to activate it or skip it.
✅ Compliant : Video preceded by an identification title
<section>
<h2>Interview: Marie Dupont presents the 2026 roadmap</h2>
<video controls src="interview-directeur.mp4">
<track kind="captions" src="captions.vtt" srclang="fr">
</video>
</section>The <h2> immediately precedes the player and clearly identifies the content. The user knows what they will watch before even starting playback. Criterion 4.7 is met.
✅ Compliant : Audio podcast identified by an adjacent paragraph
<article>
<h3>Episode 12: Accessibility in the workplace</h3>
<p>Duration: 34 minutes. Recorded on March 15, 2026.</p>
<audio controls src="episode-12.mp3"></audio>
</article>The title and descriptive paragraph precede the <audio> element. Even without seeing the page, the user understands what this recording is about and can decide to listen or skip it.
Tips and pitfalls
⚠️ Decorative media: criterion does not apply
A video playing in the background with no sound, no useful information — an ambient animation on a homepage — is decorative media. Criterion 4.7 does not apply. In this case, ensure the player is ignored by assistive technologies, for example with aria-hidden="true" on the container.
⚠️ Confusing identification with transcription
Criterion 4.7 asks for text that identifies the media — its subject, its title. Not a transcript (criterion 4.1), not an audio description (criterion 4.2). Frequent audit mistake: marking 4.7 as failed because the transcript is missing, when the video already had an adjacent title. These are two separate criteria.
⚠️ The title attribute on the player is not enough
Adding title="CEO Interview" to the <video> tag is not a passage of visible text. RGAA requires an HTML element rendered in the page flow — an <h2>, a <p>, a <figcaption> — accessible without activating the player. An HTML attribute invisible on screen does not fulfill this function.
💡 A section title can cover multiple media
A section titled "Our video tutorials" containing multiple players each identified by a subtitle is compliant. It is not necessary to duplicate text if the page structure already fulfills the identification role for each player.
⚠️ Adjacent text: immediately before or after, not three sections away
The identifying text must immediately precede or follow the player. A title located several sections higher on the page is not sufficient. In practice, the text and player must be in the same logical block — same <article>, same <figure>, same <section> — with no unrelated content in between.
Frequently asked questions
How does a <figcaption> below a video satisfy RGAA's identification criterion?
Yes, provided it actually identifies the media's content. A <figcaption> saying "© Studio XYZ" does not identify the media. A <figcaption> saying "Aria Pro product demonstration" does. The question to ask: does this text allow knowing what the video is about without watching it?
How to differentiate RGAA criterion 4.7 from criterion 4.1 for text transcripts?
Criterion 4.7 asks for text that explains what the media is about — a few words, a title. Criterion 4.1 requires a complete transcript of the audio or synchronized content. Both can be satisfied by the same content if it is detailed enough, but 4.7 can be validated with just a title, which would never be sufficient for 4.1.
How to identify a video player loaded dynamically during an RGAA audit?
The button that triggers loading must itself identify the content, or an adjacent title must do so. A button labeled "See the video" is not enough. A button "See the video: interview with Marie Dupont" meets the criterion. Identification must be available before player activation, not after.
Why does test 4.7.1 still mention Flash and how should it be interpreted today?
Flash died in December 2020. This detail in the test is a remnant from early RGAA versions. If you are not using Flash — which should be the case — ignore this part. The rest of the test applies normally to all modern players.
How to audit criterion 4.7 RGAA on a page containing multiple videos?
Navigate by tabulation to each video or audio player. Before activating it, look for text in the visible area of the page that tells you what it is. If you must start playback to find out, the criterion fails. This is the fastest test in the Multimedia theme.