Able Player is a fully accessible, cross-browser HTML5 media player designed to enhance the usability of audio and video content for all users, including those with disabilities. It has support for both audio and video, and a comprehensive set of features that improve accessibility and user experience.
Terrill Thompson created Able Player in 2014, and I took over maintenance and development of Able Player in April 2025.
I also maintain the Able Player plugin for WordPress.
You can find information and demos for Able Player on Github:
Key Features
- Keyboard Accessibility: All player controls are operable via keyboard, with customizable shortcuts that can be used globally across the webpage.
- Screen Reader Support: Controls are properly labeled for screen readers. This ensures that visually impaired users can navigate and operate the player effectively.
- High Contrast and Scalable Controls: The interface remains visible and usable in Windows High Contrast mode, and controls are scalable to accommodate user needs.
- Closed Captions and Subtitles: Supports WebVTT-formatted captions and subtitles.
- Chapters and Audio Descriptions: Supports chapter markers and text-based audio descriptions, enhancing content navigation and comprehension.
- Interactive Transcript: Offers an interactive transcript that highlights text as the media plays, with the option for keyboard navigation through the transcript.
- Customizable Preferences: Users can change settings like caption appearance, playback speed, and default behaviors for descriptions and transcripts.
- Support for External Media: Able Player integrates with YouTube and Vimeo, with enhanced accessibility features for content hosted on these platforms.