Media Accessibility may include captions, audio descriptions, or sign language interpretation for videos, pre-recorded lectures, webinars, or transcripts for podcasts and other audio files. With the increased use of media in course curriculum, instructors are strongly encouraged to review their media for accessibility prior to incorporating it into a course curriculum.
Also of importance for instructors, the recent implementation of UW System Administrative Policy 655 (SYS 655) has ushered in a different approach to ensuring media is accessible. Messaging from UWM’s Associate Vice Chancellor for IT and Chief Information Officer, along with SYS 655 and related guidance, states that each individual person is responsible for ensuring their course materials are digitally accessible.
Outside Media: Best Practices
While most, if not all, media in YouTube will have automated captions, Vimeo and other platforms may have captions embedded into the video, and many professional podcasts and webinars may provide transcripts for the audio, these options still inhibit accessibility for a student.
UWM’s knowledge-based article, FAQs about Media Accessibility, provides information on how human-generated captions excel over automated captions, the difference between captions and a transcript, and when to reach out to classroom support. Below are additional best practices, as well as tips and resources for instructors when checking and making media accessible.
Check Media for Captions
Automated captions, even with quickly-advancing technology, often fail to provide adequate access to content, especially when the content is complex in information or in language.
Prior to incorporating media into course material, check the media for professional captions by looking for the caption icon, the acronyms CC (closed captions), SDH (subtitled for Deaf and Hard of Hearing). Some media with speakers of foreign languages may already be subtitled in English, which is acceptable for accessibility.
Check Transcripts for Accessibility
Some transcripts are embedded in a sidebar next to a video or only appear as part of a specific streaming app. If a transcript is downloadable, it still may not be accessible for screen readers or text-to-speech apps. Instructors are strongly encouraged to check for full accessibility with transcripts as they consider the media for a course.
Explore University Resources & Streaming Sites
Library Resources
If initial searches into captions in media prove unsuccessful, the UWM Library Website hosts several streaming collections, where captioned versions may be available, including:
- Kanopy: Documentaries and feature films for course use. See the Kanopy FAQ
- Films on Demand: Over 25,000 high-quality digital programs and video clips, covering topics in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, business and economics, and health.
- Swank Digital Campus: 1,000 selected feature films and documentaries produced by major Hollywood and independent studios.
Other Libraries offering Media on loan:
Streaming Sites
Sites like TED.com often provide professional captions for their videos, and streaming services like NETFLIX support captioned versions of movies and shows.
Most videos on LinkedIn Learning are captioned, with many LinkedIn courses providing a transcript for each video in a series. However, instructors should still review any LinkedIn videos to confirm that a student’s screen reader or a text-to-speech app will capture the captions and/or read any transcripts.
Instructor-owned Media
Creating and editing captions on media that an instructor already owns is more efficient and sometimes more accurate than sending media out for remediation. Below are resources to help instructors create, edit, and show captions for media they own (such as pre-recorded lectures or lecture recordings uploaded to canvas after class).
Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL)
CASL offers Accessibility Training, which includes a module on Making Videos Accessible.
Using Kaltura’s MyMedia Site
Instructors can upload outside videos to their MyMedia site by downloading the video .mp4 file from the original platform (YouTube, Vimeo, Loom) or by converting a video to an .mp4 file using a converting app such as 4+ Downloader.
Once a video is uploaded to a MyMedia site, instructors have access to edit the captions, using information and instruction from the following UWM Knowledge-based articles:
- Captioning Kaltura Videos.
- Editing Video Captions in MyMedia
- How Do I Order and Edit Automated Captions through MyMedia in Canvas?
- Enable Captions for Online Media
Additional Resources for Creating & Editing Captions
DCMP Captioning Key: Guidelines and best practices for captioning education videos.
DCMP Audio Description Key: Guidelines and best practices for describing education videos.