5-4.2 General Requirements

Accessibility is accomplished by designing video and multimedia that accommodates the widest range of users, including those with disabilities. Listed below are some general requirements that will help the Postal Service ensure that video and multimedia products remain accessible:

• Implementation of specific requirements may require research on the current accessibility features of the target platform, operating system, or transmission/broadcast method.
• All video and multimedia productions should be designed with the evolving open standards for accessibility that support cross–platform use (i.e., use of SMIL standards that are supported by most digital media players, etc.).

In many cases, raw videotaped footage does not have to be captioned or audio described. For example, raw videotaped footage used to document a safety violation could be considered a video “in support of the Postal Service's mission.” If the footage is used in a production, however, such as a Web–based presentation or training video, it does have to be captioned or audio described.