Video Captioning

Audio information should be presented using video captions or text transcripts for individuals who are deaf or hearing-impaired. Other users also benefit from captions:

  1. Users who experience dyslexia and other learning disabilities are helped by captions.
  2. Non-native speakers of English often use captions to help understand content.
  3. Some users may not be able to find volume controls or they may have a defective device.
  4. Some users may not have access to headphones, and it is very common to mute audio in public computer labs or common work spaces, such as libraries.
  5. Viewers in a noisy room or with a sleeping roommate may turn on captions to "read" the video.
  6. All users may need captions if the original audio quality is poor.

Demonstration

This video has been properly captioned. Click on the CC in the lower right corner to view the captions.

Guidelines

These are the rules that FIT is required to follow for video.

  1. If you distribute video files or use them on a webpage, captions or a synchronized text transcript must be provided.
  2. Video files should be embedded or displayed in a player that can be accessed by a screen reader via keyboard commands. Accessible players include QuickTime, RealPlayer, and YouTube.
  3. YouTube can provide auto-captioning (see below), but other video hosting services cannot. If you choose to use another hosting service, including Google Drive, you must upload a caption file with your video.
  4. YouTube auto-captions should be edited to include proper punctuation, capitalization, and correct spelling of all text. See: How to Caption Videos
  5. Video should not auto-play or play in an endless loop when viewing a webpage. Instead, the user should be able to click the play button to start the video and also be able to stop the video at any time. 
  6. Any text displayed in a video (e.g. titles, captions) should comply with color contrast guidelines. See: WebAIM Color Contrast Checker

Check out FIT's Video Services Matrix to choose the right platform for your video

More Information

» Questions about Captioning
» Learn about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1