Meryl.net home https://meryl.net/ Speaker and accessibility marketing consultant Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:25:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 YouTube Studio Update: Where to Find Captions and Add Audio Description https://meryl.net/youtube-accessibility-captions-descriptive-audio-guide/ https://meryl.net/youtube-accessibility-captions-descriptive-audio-guide/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:00:32 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=21975 YouTube changed how creators add captions and descriptive audio to videos. The old “Subtitles” tab is gone. Now you'll find everything under “Languages” in YouTube Studio. This post shows where to find the new tools, how to use them, and why they matter for accessibility. It also explains how these changes affect your workflow and what to do to keep your content inclusive and easy to understand.

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]]> https://meryl.net/youtube-accessibility-captions-descriptive-audio-guide/feed/ 1 How to Create Audio Description VTT Files for Free: No Fancy Tools Needed https://meryl.net/audio-description-vtt-files/ https://meryl.net/audio-description-vtt-files/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2025 18:38:44 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=21664 As an accessibility advocate and professional, I aim to walk the talk and roll the roll by ensuring I create accessible experiences. Adding captioning and subtitles to videos is easy. I’ve got that process down pat. But audio descriptions? I couldn’t figure out that process. While figuring out that process, I added the visual descriptions ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/audio-description-vtt-files/feed/ 5 Was A Deaf Person’s Dream of Seeing Captioned Broadway Show Finally Realized? https://meryl.net/captioned-broadway-show/ https://meryl.net/captioned-broadway-show/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:06:45 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=21145 The captions faltered when I went to see MJ: The Musical on my last visit to New York City in January 2023. That’s why instead of being excited about a second chance to see a Broadway show captioned, I approached it with cautious optimism. The original post about seeing a captioned Broadway show reveals what ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/captioned-broadway-show/feed/ 0 Accessibility Is Everyone’s Responsibility https://meryl.net/accessibility-everyones-responsibility/ https://meryl.net/accessibility-everyones-responsibility/#comments Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:20:08 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=19697 I love this shirt from Knowbility that states: “I am a [blank] and accessibility is my responsibility.” Someone asked me why I hadn’t filled it in. I explained that I left it blank because I wanted others to see themselves in the statement. I want others to realize accessibility is their responsibility. Knowbility Executive Director ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/accessibility-everyones-responsibility/feed/ 2 Captions vs. Subtitles: Leave No Viewer Behind https://meryl.net/captions-vs-subtitles/ https://meryl.net/captions-vs-subtitles/#comments Thu, 15 Aug 2024 17:55:51 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=19547 I was watching a mesmerizing international film from Korea with English subtitles. It had me on the edge of my seat. Then, I ran into a problem that spoiled the experience for a moment. The characters scrambled around the room frantically. Suddenly, they all froze. They stopped moving. Their faces turned frightened. What the heck ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/captions-vs-subtitles/feed/ 2 Disability Pride Month: What You Need to Know https://meryl.net/disability-pride-month/ https://meryl.net/disability-pride-month/#respond Thu, 18 Jul 2024 15:17:07 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=19442 Yes, there’s a month for everything. Whatever the theme is, the people behind it think about it every single day of the year. Month-long awareness raising can and does make a difference. So, what’s July? July is Disability Pride Month. It’s inspired by the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/disability-pride-month/feed/ 0 Ableism and Related Terms You Need to Know https://meryl.net/ableism-microaggressions/ https://meryl.net/ableism-microaggressions/#respond Tue, 09 Apr 2024 16:15:32 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=19028 It’s hard writing about topics like ableism, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and stereotypes. Ignoring uncomfortable topics gives power for them to continue. Hence, we need to learn about them, understand them, talk about them, and know how to address them. Otherwise, change will not happen. Ableism Most people know what racism, sexism, and ageism are. They ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/ableism-microaggressions/feed/ 0 Disability Language and Navigating Its Nuances https://meryl.net/disability-language/ https://meryl.net/disability-language/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:32:46 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=18896 Trigger warning: Disability language I know … I know … Many folks are tired of political correctness. This includes knowing which words or phrases to use without offending someone. Disability language is a tricky thing. First, when it comes to disability language, there are two sides. One applies to disabled people and their allies. They ... Read more

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]]> https://meryl.net/disability-language/feed/ 6 The Deaf Experience in Telehealth Accessibility https://meryl.net/deaf-telehealth-accessibility/ Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:16:12 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=18815 The use of telehealth has boomed thanks to the pandemic. Even though the pandemic has passed, the healthcare industry continues to use telehealth. While telehealth is a great option for many, it wasn’t something I wanted to try as a deaf person. For those who don’t know me, I avoided it because I was born ... Read more

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]]> How to Be an Accessibility Ally https://meryl.net/how-to-be-accessibility-ally/ https://meryl.net/how-to-be-accessibility-ally/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:22:52 +0000 https://meryl.net/?p=17030 Many organizations boast about their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Yet, data shows they’re overlooking people with disabilities and accessibility. A survey by Return on Disability showed fewer than 2% of the participating companies mentioned people with disabilities in their diversity efforts. DEI absolutely includes people with disabilities and accessibility. Companies that don’t intentionally include ... Read more

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