Creating Accessible Audio & Video

When using audio and video multimedia for academic purposes,"accessible content" will include both audio and visual alternatives so that the content can be perceived by all audience members. Audio and video content can achieve accessibility using captioning and/or transcription. The following sections describe each feature in detail. Guides for making audio and video multimedia accessible are also on this page.

Captions

Captions are text versions of the audio portion of a video that are synchronized to run real-time with the video. Captions are essential for ensuring your video is accessible to audience members that are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as help non-native English speakers to understand the video. Instructional Technology assists with the process of obtaining captioning for academic video content when a student requiring accommodation is enrolled in a course that uses such content.

PowerPoint with Audio Captions

To caption a PowerPoint with audio when you’ve received an accommodations request, please follow our step-by-step PowerPoint to MP4 Instructions. To caption a PowerPoint when it isn’t required for a student accommodation request, please refer to the accessibility guides listed on this page instead. 

Video Captions

To caption a video when you’ve received an accommodations request, please submit a Captions & Transcript Request Form. Please note that if a faculty member cannot deliver a copy of the video to Instructional Technology for captioning 2 weeks prior to its intended use, it is our recommendation that you identify an equivalent alternative for use by all students. To caption a video when it isn’t required for a student accommodation request, please refer to the accessibility guides listed on this page instead. 

Live-Captioning & Live Transcription

Live-captioning, sometimes referred to "live transcription" refers to text appearing on the screen just a few seconds behind the action to show what is being said. Live captions create an accessible meeting for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, aid attendees who can’t turn their sound up, help non-native speakers, and assist those who retain information better when they read and hear it at the same time.

Live-Captioning in Zoom

Option 1: Enable Zoom's Live Transcription Feature

    Zoom offers an automated live transcription option within a Zoom meeting. This is available on every CSB and SJU Zoom account, but must be enabled by the host within each meeting. Once enabled, participants can select and view the live transcription. The following video shows the simple process of requesting live transcription as a participant or enabling this feature as a host.

    Option 2: Assign a Captioner

    In any Zoom meeting the host can assign an attendee to type closed captions in Zoom during the live meeting. This option is usually desired when high accuracy is needed for a Zoom event. 

    Live-Captioning in Teams

    Once the meeting has started attendees can select the "..." button and choose to "Turn on live captions." To stop showing live captioning select the "..." button again and choose to "Turn off live captions." For more information, visit Microsoft's Use live captions in a Teams meeting website.

    Transcripts

    Transcripts convert oral audio into a readable text format, but unlike captions they do not necessarily display in real-time. Transcripts are helpful for adding accessibility for audience members that can't view videos due to technical limitations or disability, and give a visual component to audio-only files for audience members that are deaf or hard of hearing. If a video has previously been captioned, then a transcript may have already been produced by the captioning process. Instructional Technology can assist with obtaining transcripts for academic audio and video content when a student requiring accommodation is enrolled in a course that uses such content.

    Audio Transcript

    To obtain a transcript of an audio file when you’ve received an accommodations request, please submit a  Captions & Transcript Request Form. Please note that if a faculty member cannot deliver a copy of the audio to Instructional Technology for transcription 2 weeks prior to its intended use, it is our recommendation that you identify an equivalent alternative for use by all students. To obtain a transcript of an audio file when it isn’t required for a student accommodation request, please refer to the guides listed on this page.