Creating accessible audio and video content is a standard requirement and helps ensure compliance with digital accessibility regulations. The following methods are established practices for making multimedia materials accessible:
- Captions provide synchronized, text-based representations of spoken dialogue, sound effects, and other key audio cues. While typically displayed at the bottom of the screen, captions may appear elsewhere as needed. Machine-generated captions must be manually reviewed and corrected to meet accessibility standards.
- Transcripts are complete text versions of audio and video content. They include both spoken words and relevant visual information, making media content accessible to individuals who are deafblind and compatible with screen readers or Braille displays.
- Audio Descriptions (AD) add a secondary audio track that narrates important visual elements for users who cannot see the screen. This includes actions, scene changes, text on screen, and other visual cues essential to understanding the content.
- Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) provides live, real-time captioning of spoken content. CART can be displayed on monitors, mobile devices, or streamed via web browsers, and is commonly used for events to assist individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
These tools benefit not only users with disabilities but also those in noisy environments, people who prefer to read content, non-native English speakers, and others who may rely on alternate modes of content consumption.
Producing accurate captions and transcripts requires both attention to detail and an understanding of accessibility standards. While in-house captioning is possible, many organizations opt for professional captioning services to ensure compliance and quick delivery. If creating captions or transcripts internally, consider the following:
- Always review and correct auto-generated captions for errors.
- Use a script during recording to simplify transcript creation.
- When possible, include descriptions of important visuals in the main narration to reduce the need for post-production audio descriptions.
Requirements
- The university must provide equally effective communication for people with disabilities and seeks to meet and exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state law. To provide equal access, staff should provide accurate captions for all videos.
- For requests for student accommodations, contact Student Accessibility and Testing.
- Captions must be available with both pre-recorded and live video content.
- Audio-only content, such as podcasts, must have an accurate text transcript.
- The text transcript must be an accessible document, preferably HTML.
- If you provide a text transcript in other formats, such as a .TXT file, the transcript/link must be under or close to the audio player.
- Auto-generated captions must be reviewed by a human for accuracy.
- Allow viewers to turn off sound that automatically plays for over 3 seconds.
Resources for Campus Tools
VoiceThread
Contracted Service Providers
University of Missouri System has contracted vendors that provide human transcription, captioning, and CART services.
The Data Classification Level (DCL) of the data being captioned, transcribed, or made audible per this contract must be limited to DCL1 (public data) and DCL2 (sensitive data) data. The university does not approve these services for DCL3 (restricted) or DCL4 (highly restricted) data. Refer to the Data Classification System for more information.
Contact UM System Procurement/Supply Chain Operations with pricing questions.
Additional Resources
- Captioning Live Events
- Creating Accessible Videos
- Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions
- Guidelines and Best Practices for Captioning and Describing Educational Video
- Making Audio and Video Media Accessible