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Captioning Essentials

Online Ed and Student Accessibility Services

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Captions

The display of text on-screen representing the dialogue and sound effects present in a video.

Captions provide an accessible alternative for individuals who cannot hear the content.

Captions include any spoken information as well as all relevant parts of the soundtrack and any other audio cues that help the viewer understand the video.

The audio and video should not autoplay.

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Why Caption?: Legal Basis

  • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act:
    • Mandates accessibility in federal electronic and information technology.
    • Has been adopted at the state level in California (California Government Code 11135)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
    • Federal anti-discrimination legislation
    • Upholds the need for accessibility of digital content and resources to ensure equal access to public programs and services
  • WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards (after April 24, 2026 and 2.0 currently)

Resources:

Web Content Accessibility

University of California Electronic Accessibility

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Why Caption?

Provides increased access for all students but is also helpful for:

- Varying learning styles

- Environmental Challenges

- Language Learners

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Captions vs. Transcripts

  • Captions
  • - Provide real time access to audio
  • - Video is synced to audio/text
  • Transcripts
  • - Provide asynchronous access to audio
  • - Lacks audio and video together
  • - Transcripts are not synchronized to the presentation

  • While transcripts may be provided for pre-recorded videos, they must be provided for audio-only content.

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Captions vs. Transcripts

Real-time captioning

    • Used in synchronous action
    • Captioner is producing word-by-word transcript
    • Transcript presented centrally or locally to user
    • Will approximate 100% accuracy, some errors

Closed-captioning

    • Used for recorded content
    • Text representation of audio in a media file
    • Synchronized text with visual
    • Two types: Open and closed
    • Should be 100% accurate

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Captioning Considerations

Captions must be:

(1) synchronized so they display at approximately the same time the spoken audio occurs;

(2) equivalent in meaning and equal in content to the audio, including who is speaking and any relevant sound effects;

(3) accessible and easy to find for anyone who needs or wants to use them.

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Are Automatic Captions Good Enough?

  • Automatic Caption Limitations
  • - Accuracy
  • - Punctuation

  • How can we increase the usability of Automatic Captions?
  • - Edit for Accuracy/Punctuation
  • - Provide important non-verbal auditory information

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Audio Descriptions

Verbal depiction of the key visual elements in a video presentation.

Audio descriptions communicate the important information relevant to understanding the video content.

Audio Description Example

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Captioning with YouTube and Studio

Both generate auto captions which can be edited.

Let’s have a look at how each type looks…

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Questions?

Questions

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RESOURCES