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Accessibility: How to Make Digital Assets Accessible: Video

This LibGuide explains how to make content of various types more accessible with explanations, examples, and links to additional resources.

Overview

For accommodation purposes, videos used in courses must contain high-quality captions. If you create videos yourself (i.e. video lectures), make plans to incorporate captions. Please contact *Information*  if you need assistance with creating accessible video

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Video Captioning

For accommodation purposes, videos used in courses must contain high-quality captions. If you create videos yourself (i.e. video lectures), plan to incorporate captions.

Third party owned videos (e.g. found on YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) used in your courses must also contain high-quality captions. To assist you in this process, the following sequence of steps will help you determine that the best captioned video content is sourced and being used for your course.

1.    Search our Licensed Databases (Library):

Contact your librarian and provide them with a list of videos you intend to use for your course.  Your librarian will search for the same and/or similar video content in one of the existing institution subscribed video databases. Most of these videos already contain captions and licenses to use these videos (unlike most videos found on YouTube, Vimeo and similar services). You are encouraged to search these databases, too.

2.    Seek captioning support

If already-captioned video content is not successfully located in the Library subscription databases or via other resources, campus services may be able to caption the content or outsource caption creation to a service provider. Factors affecting this step include the following elements:

a.    licensing restrictions of the work;

b.    turnaround time required and;

c.    length of the video content.

If you already have written permission from the copyright owner, this last step will be greatly aided.

Subscription Databases with Transcribed Content

The library subscribes to the following video databases that cover educational, documentary content as well as some independent/foreign feature films.  In addition to having licenses to use video content from these services which will mitigate copyright concerns, the vast majority of the clips are already captioned and/or transcribed. Your subject liaison librarian is willing to assist you with searching these and additional resources for content that meets your subject needs and has captioning included.  Feel free to reach out to your librarian for more information.

Consult with the library for additional information on subscription streaming services.

How to Video

Accessibility Guidelines for Video Content

This is an overview of the elements that require special consideration when using video content. Please review one of the Additional Resources for detailed instructions on any of the following:

  • Caption (or subtitle) all spoken content and music with lyrics.
  • Provide a transcript for spoken content and music with lyrics in the video. Include visual description of images that provide content (i.e. not decorative).
  • Provide an audio description of essential images displayed in the video.
  • Edit out or post a warning at the beginning of the video if it contains flickers or blinks at any time.

Additional Resources