Media Accessibility (Captioning & Audio Description)

DOJ Title II regulations do not provide thresholds for accuracy, synchronicity, or other features of captioning. In many cases, automated captioning (sometimes referred to as live transcription) may be sufficient for meeting requirements and user needs. In other cases, such as for large, unit-wide events, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), provided by a human transcriptionist, may be most appropriate.

Units and departments should be mindful that jargon, terms of art, and individual names may not be handled well by automated captioning services. CART services tend to provide higher accuracy than automated captioning services in these cases. Additionally, if an individual reaches out to request live captioning at a live event or stream you are providing, asking for additional clarification about those needs would be needed. If an individual needs CART in order to effectively participate, units and departments should provide CART. The Disability Equity Office coordinates the use of external CART services at university events.

Live events should provide live captioning. For in-person events without a video stream or broadcast, captioning is not required, but should be provided as best practice. For example, if a presenter is conducting a guest lecture at a university space, they should consider tools in common presentation platforms which may assist with accessibility. Many presentation platforms such as PowerPoint do provide automated live captioning, which may be useful in instances where Zoom is not being used.

Some units or departments may elect to use automated captioning services to provide captioning. In most cases it is appropriate to review the accuracy and synchronicity of automated captioning of pre-recorded video content. It may be necessary to edit automated captioning to provide the same quality of content in text format.

When providing recordings of live media content, a unit or department is creating pre-recorded media content. Because pre-recorded media content has a larger opportunity to provide more accurate and effective captioning, units and departments should review live captioning tracks and be prepared to edit or revise those tracks, or pay for pre-recorded video captioning, in order to best meet accessibility needs.

The first strategy is to provide descriptions of visuals being covered in video form in the original video. When scripting and filming video content, authors/presenters should narrate visuals appropriately. For example, if a chart appears in a slide that an instructor is covering, the instructor could provide the title of the chart, the axis labels, and the general trends that are observable. Alternatively, if a chart is included in a visual design class to discuss how and why to present information in certain ways, a description may be different, and focus on the visual rhetoric behind designing a chart.

Providing descriptions of visuals being covered in the script/video is the best way to provide effective audio description at scale. These videos will be appropriately described without the need for an audio description track or an extended audio description track. This creates one, inclusive experience for people with and without disabilities. This strategy avoids challenges such as trying to provide extra time intervals to create descriptions, or having to maintain two separate video versions, as may be required in some video players or hosting platforms. This approach works well for instructional or demonstrative content.

If an additional audio description track must be used, users should try to create descriptions that fit into regular video run-time to best protect the ability of disabled users to be included in video content (e.g., so that times are similar when discussing video content, etc.). Be aware that when creating separate videos to provide audio description, the maintenance of that content must be done in the audio described video as well as the undescribed video. It is more sustainable and inclusive to describe visuals in a script or video–integrated description as units and departments will not need to maintain two separate versions of the same video content.

Extended audio description may be needed for very visual content that content authors have not described in their scripts/videos, or for content that may need additional levels of description in order to be equitably accessed. Extended audio description involves the pausing of video content to fit in more effective visual descriptions.

A unit-wide event sponsored by the president, provost, executive officer, or a dean, or a large program event with an attendance in excess of 500 people. Learn more about CART Services.

No, this is an exception in WCAG 2.1. The pre-recorded audio content must clearly be labeled as an alternative to the text content in order for this to apply.

The formal documentation for the WCAG 2.1 standards do not describe thresholds to meet. In general, university units and departments should consider how they might best provide an equitable experience to users. In some cases units and departments may be able to utilize automated captioning services to provide that service effectively. In other cases it is less appropriate. University units and departments should have processes for reviewing the accuracy, synchronicity, and completeness of captioning provided. The industry standard for captioning accuracy is 99%, meaning no more than 1 word in error for every 100 words. Providing equitable access is the ultimate goal.

Most modern video players allow users to adjust captioning size and placement. Captioning should not obscure video content.

Yes. Learn more about Archived Web Content requirements.

Yes. However, another approach would be to re-record the lecture or video content, and provide the audio description in narration.