Captioned Media

Legal Mandate:

Watching a video without captions not only compromises the education of students who are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (DHH), but it also violates their right to equal access as established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990, as amended 2008).

What to Look for:

• Check all currently owned videos for captioning.
• Purchased videos will be labeled with one of these three symbols on either the case or center label of the video.
  
• Self-recorded videos will need to be checked by viewing clips from each video with the captioning capabilities of the TV or projector turned on.
• Captioned TV programs/movies retain captioning when recorded.
• Mark the captioned videos with one of the captioning symbols for future reference
• When purchasing new videos, buy captioned.
• If captioning status is not listed in the catalog or internet ordering site, contact the company.
• Test the media in your classroom at least 2 weeks before the schedule class showing to ensure all technical components are in working order.

Getting Videos Captioned:

• Instructions on how to caption your own YouTube clips.
• Seek funding from within the department to pay for captioning current videos.
• Direct questions regarding this responsibility to the University Academic Support Center 785-864-4064.
• If funds are limited, prioritize videos to be captioned using the following as guidelines:

1. Videos used every semester/year as a staple part of the curricula
2. Videos used to present new information that will be tested
3. Videos used to reinforce already presented material
4. Videos used for enrichment purposes only (non-tested material)

Other Options:

• If video is non-essential consider not showing the video.
• Provide a transcript of video to the student and interpreter at least one class period in advance of the class showing.

Bottom Line:

• Should a non-captioned video be shown, equal access to course content has not been provided.