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Video and Audio Accessibility

Video and Audio Accessibility

Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all video and audio content provided by public institutions must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. This applies to instructional materials, training content, public-facing media, and any audio or video shared through platforms such as Brightspace, websites, or presentations.

To meet Title II accessibility requirements, the following must be in place:

Accessible Video and Audio Content

All video and audio content must include:

  • Accurate text transcripts that include all spoken content and relevant non-speech audio (e.g., sound effects, speaker identification)
  • Accurate closed captions for synchronized video content
  • Synchronized captions that match the timing of audio (for video)
  • Audio descriptions when essential visual information is not conveyed through narration (for video)
  • Accessible media players that support keyboard navigation and assistive technologies
  • Transcripts must be complete, accurate, and easy to locate in an accessible format

To learn how to use OneDrive to automatically caption and transcribe video files, please refer to the following resource. Keep in mind that automatically generated captions and transcripts may contain errors, so it is important to review and verify the text for accuracy before sharing content.

Resource: How to Caption Videos Using OneDrive

Transcribing Audio Files

Unlike video files, OneDrive does not provide automatic captions and transcription for audio-only files. To create accessible transcripts for audio content, you can use the Transcribe feature in Microsoft Word.

This tool allows you to upload audio recordings, generate a transcript, and edit the text for accuracy before sharing.

Resource: Transcribe Your Recordings Using Microsoft Word

Live Sessions and Recordings (Zoom and Microsoft Teams)

Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams provide built-in accessibility features for live sessions and recordings.

Zoom

Zoom supports live captions and audio transcripts. For recorded meetings:

  • Cloud recording is required to generate captions and transcripts
  • Local recordings do not support captions or transcripts
  • Captions and transcripts must be reviewed and corrected before sharing

Resource: Zoom Accessibility

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams supports live captions and audio transcripts. For recorded meetings:

  • Captions and transcripts for recordings (based on meeting settings)
  • Captions and transcripts must be reviewed and corrected before sharing

Resource: Microsoft Teams Accessibility