Accessibility Audit in 30 Minutes

Is Your Podcast & Webinar Library Ready for EU Accessibility Rules?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is now active across the EU. If you publish podcasts, webinars, or video recordings for EU customers (even if your business is outside Europe), you are expected to meet accessibility standards based on WCAG 2.2 and EU accessibility requirements.

The good news? You can run a quick 30-minute audit to understand your current risks and what to fix first.

This guide gives you a simple, practical checklist — without legal jargon.

TL;DR – Your 30-Minute Compliance Checklist

For each podcast episode or webinar recording, check whether you have:

1. A full text transcript for audio-only content.

2. Closed captions for all speech in video content.

3. Audio description or descriptive text for important visual information.

4. Keyboard-accessible player controls with visible focus indicators.

5. Buttons large enough and well spaced to tap or click easily.

6. User control over auto-play (pause/stop available immediately).

7. Accurate, properly synchronised captions.

8. Human-reviewed captions for public or high-stakes content.

9. Clarity on whether your business falls under EAA rules.

10. A simple plan for fixing the gaps, starting with your most visible content.

If most of these are missing, you have accessibility risk. If most are present, you’re in good shape.

0–5 Minutes: Understand Your Risk Level

Before you review any recordings, answer these three questions:

1. Do you serve customers in the EU or EEA?

If yes, assume accessibility rules apply to your public-facing content.

2. Are you more than a microenterprise?

Microenterprises (under 10 employees and very low turnover) sometimes have exemptions, but most SMEs must comply.

3. Is your content public-facing or internal?

• Public podcasts, product webinars, and customer training → high priority

• Internal meetings → lower regulatory risk but still worth improving

Write down your scope:

“We are auditing EU-facing podcasts and webinars. We are an SME. Content is public.”

5–10 Minutes: Select a Representative Sample

To keep the audit short, check a small, meaningful sample:

• 2–3 top podcast episodes

• 2–3 most viewed webinars

• 1–2 important onboarding or training videos

Create a simple table:

This becomes your mini accessibility inventory.

10–20 Minutes: Review the 5 Core Compliance Elements

For each file in your sample, check the items below.

1. Do you provide a proper text alternative?

Use this reference:

Ask yourself:

• Can a Deaf or hard-of-hearing user access all the information?

• Can a blind or low-vision user understand the visuals?

If not, mark Gap: Missing transcript/captions/description.

2. Are captions accurate and synchronised?

Play part of the webinar with captions ON:

• Do captions match the spoken words?

• Are names and numbers correct?

• Are captions timed correctly with speech?

Auto-captions alone often fail this test.
If they’re sloppy or delayed, mark Gap: Caption accuracy/sync.

3. Can the media player be used with a keyboard?

Without using your mouse:

• Press TAB until you reach the player.

• Confirm you can see a visible focus outline.

• Use Space/Enter to play/pause.

• Use keyboard to toggle captions, adjust volume, enter full screen.

If you get stuck at any point, mark Gap: Player not keyboard accessible.

4. Are player controls large enough?

Buttons should be:

• Easy to tap on mobile

• Not tiny or crowded

• Clear, with enough spacing

If play/pause or captions buttons feel too small or fiddly, note Gap: Target size/spacing.

5. Can users stop auto-play easily?

If the video or audio auto-plays:

• Is the pause/stop button immediately visible?

• Can keyboard-only users stop the media right away?

• Does audio continue playing when navigating away?

If users can’t quickly pause or stop, mark Gap: Auto-play control.

20–30 Minutes: Turn Findings Into an Action Plan

Now convert your notes into a simple improvement plan.

1. Score each file

Use a simple traffic-light system:

• Green – Accessible or very close

• Amber – Usable but missing one major element

• Red – Missing transcripts or captions; player inaccessible

2. Prioritise your fixes

Focus on:

1. Red + High visibility content

   • Homepage video

   • Flagship webinars

   • Popular podcasts

2. Amber content that customers rely on

3. Legacy or low-traffic content (fix later)

3. Improve your future workflow

Ensure future content is produced accessibly:

• Good microphones

• No heavy background noise

• Have captions/transcripts created as part of publishing

• Use human or hybrid captioning for important material

This prevents your backlog from growing.

4. Document your baseline

Create a one-page internal summary:

• What you reviewed

• What you found

• What you will fix first

• Your timeline

This shows you are taking accessibility seriously.

FAQ: Podcasts & Webinars Under EU Rules

Are podcasts covered by accessibility requirements?

Yes—if your podcast is public and part of a service available to EU users. Podcasts must provide transcripts.

Do internal webinars need to be accessible?

Public-facing ones must be. Internal training content should also be accessible for employees with disabilities.

Are auto-generated captions acceptable?

Not for public or important content. They often fall short in accuracy and timing.
Best practice: AI draft + human correction.

We’re a small team. Do we need to fix everything right away?

No. Start with:

• New content (fix the pipeline)

• Top 10–20 most important recordings

• Clear documentation of your accessibility plan

Progress matters more than perfection on day one.