Captioning Services

The Bob Murphy Access Center's Accessible Technology Program (BMAC-ATP) works in collaboration with Academic Technology Services (ATS) to caption videos with 100% accuracy for instructors with students who are deaf and hard of hearing enrolled in their courses. In order for ATS to caption your videos, you will need to upload your MP3 and MP4 videos to your Media Library. ATS can only caption videos that are in MP3 and MP4 format, YouTube videos and Vimeo videos YouTube and Vimeo links should be emailed directly to bmac-atp@csulb.edu. The turnaround time for captioning videos is typically 3-5 business days. However, videos can also be expedited if needed and captioned in 1-2 business days. Please provide the following information to process your request: 

  • Your Campus ID Number
  • Canvas Course 
  • Title of the Video(s)
  • YouTube/Vimeo Links if Applicable​

WHAT ARE CAPTIONS?

Captions are textual representation of audio that have been time-synchronized with the audio track of a video and appear on screen while the video plays. They are similar to subtitles but different in that they make videos accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing timed text on screen as a supplement to audio and identify speakers, music, sound effects, and other audio elements that are essential to understanding the plot of the video.

ARE CAPTIONS REQUIRED?

In accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), all instructional media such as films, videos, recorded lectures, presentations with audio and/or any digital content posted to BeachBoard, must have captions if an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing is enrolled in the course and needs access to the content as an accommodation. Additionally, audio files such as MP3 files and podcasts need transcripts.

Making the Distinction: Captions vs. Subtitles vs. Transcripts

  • Captions assume the user can't hear and display words in the same language that is spoken in the video.
  • Subtitles assume the user can't understand the language and display a translation of the spoken words and exclude non-speech sounds.
  • Transcripts are merely the text version of the audio and are not time-synchronized with the video but are the first step to creating captions.

Captioning Guidelines

In accordance with the Chancellor’s Office Captioning Prioritization guidelines and Executive Order 1111, the CSU must “make its programs, services, and activities accessible to students, faculty, staff, and the public, with disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to, multimedia programs and services as well as multimedia materials.”

  • Closed captioning is critical for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and need this accommodation in order to participate in the course curriculum.
  • If you plan to show any multimedia in your course and have a deaf or hard of hearing student registered in your course, then these materials must be captioned to provide equal access for the student.
  • Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, or video regardless of delivery system.
  • Captioned media must be provided at the same time that the multimedia is provided or shown or accessed by the class
  • To receive captioning for your videos, a confirmed student with a deaf or hard of hearing disability must be enrolled in your course.

Audio and Video Captioning Services

To request captioning services, please contact BMAC-ATP at bmac-atp@csulb.edu. BMAC-ATP works in collaboration with Academic Technology Services (ATS) to caption videos with 100% accuracy for instructors with students who are deaf or hard of hearing enrolled in their courses. The turnaround time for captioning videos is typically 3-5 business days. However, videos can also be expedited if needed and captioned within 1-2 business days.

Captioning Your Own Videos

If you do not have a student who is deaf or hard of hearing and would like to caption your videos, BMAC-ATP provides a Captioning Guide to assist with captioning your own videos with the following platforms: BeachBoard (Kaltura), MS Stream, and YouTube. However, these captioning tools are not 100% ADA compliant and editing will likely be needed. Though you may not be required to edit your own captions, it is good practice to do so. You may also use Captioned Media Program and Captioning Resources and Captioning Methods to further assist your captioning needs.

University Library Captioned Videos

The University Library has readily available captioned videos in their video collection from a host of streaming services for faculty and staff to use. The University Library’s Streaming Media section includes captioned videos by vendors who host, stream, and caption their content that can be viewed on the web and subscribed by CSULB. To access these collections, you will only need a CSULB campus ID.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

A:& Yes. Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires all agencies receiving federal funding to make their electronic and information technology accessible to all people including those with disabilities.

A: No. These tools generally do not caption videos with 100% ADA compliance and accuracy and edits will most likely be needed. It is important to note that though editing captions is good practice, it does not meet overall accessibility standards and should be captioned professionally through a captioning service.

A: BMAC-ATP works in collaboration with ATS to caption vides with 100% accuracy for instructors with students who are deaf or hard of hearing enrolled in their courses. If you do not have a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, and would like to have your videos captioned, you may add the captions yourself or use a professional captioning service such as CaptionSync, Rev, and 3Play Media.

A: BMAC-ATP provides a Captioning Guide to assist with captioning your own videos with the following platforms: Canvas (Kaltura), MS Stream, and YouTube.

A: The turnaround time for captioning videos is typically 3-5 business days. However, videos can also be expedited if needed and captioned within 1-2 business days.

A: No. Subtitles assume the user can't understand the language and display a translation of the spoken words and exclude non-speech sounds.

A: No. The appropriate accommodation for accessible video is synchronous captions. However, for content that is audio only, transcripts are sufficient.