Frequently Asked Questions

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What responsibility does a school have for getting uncaptioned video clips captioned?

Per the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act course materials must be provided in an accessible format for students with disabilities. For students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, this means presenting audio content as text. The most accessible way to provide the text is to add time synced captions to the video. Methods used to add captions vary by media.

The best method for VHS tapes is to add line 21 captions either as open captions (always viewable) or closed captions (able to be turned on and off, but requiring a caption decoder).

Adding captions to a DVD requires that the DVD be reauthored. If it already contains captions, note whether they are listed as "subtitles" or "subtitles for the hearing impaired." Regular "subtitles" add spoken words for hearing individuals whose first language may not be English and may not include all the information a person with a hearing loss would need. "Subtitles for the hearing impaired" include speaker identification, sound effects, and other auditory information.

Online or digital media are easier to caption since their formats do not need to be altered. There are several free or low-cost software options which will allow you to add captions in-house.

Institutions may choose to add captions in-house or outsource the project. Adding captions in-house can be time consuming. There are many variables but the average 30 minute video can required between 10 and 14 hours to caption. Outsourcing a captioning project can be costly but may save time and frustration in the end. For a list of captioning agencies approved by DCMP (Described and Captioned Media Program) go to: http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh11.pdf

Showing only captioned media in the classroom not only ensures accessibility but can benefit all students.